Users on both Facebook and Instagram are being told they need to provide government-issued identification in order to access their accounts, which have been otherwise locked down. This is reportedly an official effort by the social media pair — Facebook is Instagram’s parent company — against accounts they suspect of terms of service violations. Further, some users who went to this quite suspicious trouble (in the age of identity theft and information trading, being told to send a photo of your ID for a Facebook account doesn’t immediately ring true) didn’t even have their type of ID accepted. Rather, they were instructed to provide further documentation — anything from a copy of a work or school ID, to a copy of a birth certificate. (Photo from Talking Points Memo) source
New tech site “Terms of Service; Didn’t Read” wants to expose what they call “the biggest lie on the Web.” To put it simply, nobody actually reads the Terms of Service. They just say they do. And in the case of some services, such as TwitPic (above), this is pretty evil. Did you know they can sell your photos to a news wire without paying you? Scary, right?
So, there was this service on Twitter called “@FAME,” which was something of a weird/novel concept — basically, you install this plugin, and you got entered into a daily raffle. If you won the raffle, all the other FAME users would auto-follow you for a day. After a day, those users unfollowed you automatically, with the option to refollow. Cool idea, right? Well, Twitter didn’t think so — they banned the app for an undisclosed terms of service violation, saying it violated the spirit of the platform. The company says it’ll try doing this on another platform instead. Should they come to Tumblr?
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been working on an update to our Terms. When we first launched Pinterest, we used a standard set of Terms. We think that the updated Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policy, and Privacy Policy are easier to understand and better reflect the direction our…
Among other things: Pinterest took out the “sell” clause in their terms of service, which was a major source of controversy. “Selling content was never our intention and we removed this from our updated Terms,” the post says. Also, like Tumblr, the site now explicitly forbids self-harm posts. (ht @AntDeRosa)
Many Tumblr users and supporters of extensions like Missing e and XKit contacted Tumblr regarding their upcoming changes to their Terms of Service. Recently, a number of them have received a response from Tumblr similar to the one you’ll find below.
They have clarified their changes in a positive way. Although the new terms do give Tumblr a stronger position from which to come down on extension developers and users, they have made very clear statements indicating they will continue to allow Tumblr browser extensions!
Thanks so much for your support, folks! Continue using Tumblr browser extensions to your heart’s content! [more]
Tumblr clarifies themselves a day after a set of terms changes caused much concern among users.
~ Your Freedom To Use Your Browser Is Under Attack ~
Tumblr’s Terms of Service hasn’t changed yet. So please read and help out!
The Tumblr staff recently requested feedback on updates they will be making to their policies. They specifically mention one of their goals is to prevent the promotion of self-harm. However, their updated Terms of Service includes something a lot less laudable.
Unable to find the required avenues to stop developers from creating and distributing browser extensions that enhance the way you use Tumblr and not getting enough of a response to their scary warning campaign, they now seem to be preparing the groundwork for coming after users of these extensions.
~ Who, you? Yes, apparently. ~
Tumblr had been previously unable to prevent all development of these extensions, scripts and add-ons because they function within your web browser, allowing you to direct these extensions to use your browser to automatically perform tasks for you on Tumblr (like quickly reblogging from the dashboard, uploading images to posts, adding control buttons to your sidebar or hiding content you don’t want to see). The extensions, themselves, do not interact directly with Tumblr, only help your web browser to do it for you!
With the upcoming changes to the Terms of Service, Tumblr will soon be able to punish someone: you.
~ How is it wrong to use something to help me enjoy Tumblr more? ~
The important part of the new Terms of Service is under the section titled Limitations on Automated Use:
You may not do any of the following while accessing or using the Services: … (c) access or search or attempt to access or search the Services by any means (automated or otherwise) other than through our currently available, published interfaces that are provided by Tumblr… (d) scrape the Services, and particularly scape (sic) Content (as defined below) from the Services, without Tumblr’s express prior written consent
These limitations will make using almost any browser extension, add-on or script for Tumblr (and even some not specifically intended for Tumblr) against the rules!
Do you use Missing e, XKit, Tumblr Savior or any Greasemonkey script for Tumblr? Well, pretty soon, that will mean you will be in violation of Tumblr’s Terms of Service. That would be grounds for terminating your account!
~ What’s the Big Deal? ~
Extensions, add-ons and scripts like Missing e, XKit and Tumblr Savior help you get better use of Tumblr. They might mean that you decide against leaving Tumblr, or that you come back to it. They make it easier to spend more time on Tumblr than you might have normally and become a more involved member of this community. These are the kind of things a company like Tumblr should want, but is instead fighting against.
This most recent step effectively means that Tumblr apparently wants to reach into your web browser and tell you exactly how you are to use it to interact with their website. Their way, and NO OTHER WAY.
~ So, What Can We Do? ~
Tumblr’s new Terms of Service policy has not yet been put into effect. They are still looking for feedback. My suggestions is that we give them feedback.
Contact Tumblr (policy@tumblr.com) and let them know that this decision will alienate the userbase they work so hard to grow. Let them know that a browser extension (be it any of them) brought you back to Tumblr, or convinced you to stay, or kept you on this site longer. Tell them that your Tumblr is better off with a Savior, a Kit of the ‘X’ variety or that Missing e!
ABOVE ALL, BE POLITE. The best way to present your case is with clearheaded statements that show Tumblr that these tools make you want to use their product more!
This will become a big issue for Tumblr in the next few days, particularly the scraping thing, which is how services like Missing e and others work. Not sure how to feel about all this yet, but this is certainly not the kind of thing that I think Tumblr should be doing. We’ve been big backers of Missing e in the past, and it would break our hearts to see it taken down like this. So this needs to be explained and dealt with. Are there any other social media services which codify that you can’t modify their interfaces in this way?
You wouldn’t buy a car from a salesman who speaks in double-talk and hands you an unreadable contract. So why do we accept it from software companies?Gregg Bernstein, the graduate student who transformed Apple’s confusing, 4,137-word iTunes TOS into a user-friendly masterpiece. See for yourself. (via thedailyfeed)
You retain all ownership rights to Content uploaded to Twitpic. However, by submitting Content to Twitpic, you hereby grant Twitpic a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the Content in connection with the Service and Twitpic’s (and its successors’ and affiliates’) business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels.From Twitpic’s terms of service • This is the part that allows Twitpic to sell your content. This is the reason why you should perhaps stop using Twitpic. Note that yfrog’s terms of service does not contain a similar clause, so you’re safe using them.
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