Comments on: All those social networking website widgets may as well remove the Facebook button now

By: tigtog

tigtog — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:21:07 +0000

Well well well – I just came home from a night out and logged into Facebook to quickly check on my mates before bedtime, and what do I find on the Home page?

Terms of Use Update
Over the past few days, we have received a lot of feedback about the new terms we posted two weeks ago. Because of this response, we have decided to return to our previous Terms of Use while we resolve the issues that people have raised. For more information, visit the Facebook Blog.

If you want to share your thoughts on what should be in the new terms, check out our group Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.

It’s a reasonably deft response to the current clusterfuck. Pity they didn’t avoid the misstep in the first place.

By: Dave Bath

Dave Bath — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:22:42 +0000

Hmmm. If they claim ownership for something, do they also “own up” tp responsibility and liability for anything evil, slanderous or illegal that they “own”?

If I was wanting to sue for some particular bit of toxic content, I’d rather sue something with deep pockets (like Facebook) than some individual who probably won’t have the cash for compensation.

By: Deus Ex Macintosh

Deus Ex Macintosh — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:07:44 +0000

Hmm… having read around some of those news stories that’s one big FAIL for corporate communication.

By: Chally

Chally — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:52:55 +0000

Thanks. I hope that’s the case.

By: tigtog

tigtog — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:19:13 +0000

@ Chally: Doing a bit more reading, it looks like the new Terms of Use may just have been badly drafted to give an impression that is at odds with Facebook's actual intent, which is to specify that if you have enabled others to post information from your Facebook wall or from your website to their Facebook wall, then Facebook doesn't have to delete it from their account if you subsequently remove that information. Once the TOU has been clarified to my satisfaction, I'll probably put the button back up. If the clarification is up to par.

By: Chally

Chally — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 05:16:36 +0000

They want the rights to my conversations and my photos? Um I don’t think so? I don’t like this at all.

By: Armagny

Armagny — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:32:49 +0000

Bizarre, I can’t see how they would have any such claim whatsoever. Copyright lies in the expression of an idea. It must be in their T&Cs but that would be such an onerous and unusual provision, and arguably also for no consideration given the benefit of such a button flows to Facebook, that they would need to draw very clear attention to it I would have thought.

Can’t wait for Legal Eagle/Skepticwig to parse it.