I’m the owner of this image. So what’s all the fuss about copyright?
Readers of my blog noticed that it was quite calm here lately. The reason is that I started using Facebook and Twitter and was more active on these social networking platforms than on my blog. As I found out they were good tools for networking and sharing with photographers, clients and friends. If you didn’t want to be a member of several different social networking platforms, I thought it was best to just join Facebook. It’s free, so everybody is there and it’s not just business or not just private like other platforms. Facebook gave me a good mixture between business and private life.
Now if you are my friend on Facebook you might have wondered that I am not in your friend’s list anymore. Do I hate you? Did I cancel our friendship?
No, not at all. I just left Facebook. That’s it.
The reason: Recently it was in the news that Facebook doesn’t make enough money and that they were thinking about selling the personal data of its users.
Wait. Whaaat?
That was some time ago. Now it got worse. Facebook already did change their Terms of Service (TOS) at the beginning of February this year. Without telling their users. What if you don’t agree with the new TOS? Don’t worry. You don’t have an option. And it’s already too late anyway.
As a professional photographer you just can’t agree to Facebook’s new Terms of Service. As a photographer you always did care about your copyright. You have to protect your work, that’s what you live of. And of course you want to protect your personal data. But from now on everything belongs to Facebook. Right. Everything. All your personal data. All your pictures, images, videos. Everything. And the best: FOREVER!
If you were a facebook member and didn’t leave before February you’re lost. You belong to Facebook. Even if you decide to quit now and delete your profile, Facebook won’t delete your profile and your personal data. With the new Terms of Service they keep the right to sell everything now and in the future.
Actually I am not that much affected by the new Terms of Service than others. I’m used to read the fineprint and I am always aware of what it means to share personal data on the internet. So I didn’t have much on Facebook that was not public on my blog or website anyway.
More on the subject on today’s news program “10 vor 10” on the Swiss National Television:
The good point about the Facebook desaster: My blog is going to get a revival. Instead of investing a lot of time into Facebook I will post more regularly on my own platforms, my blog and my website. Everything is under my control, on my servers. And for connecting with my friends, I just call them more often. Good times to come :-)
[UPDATE] After all the worldwide protests Facebook returned to their old Terms of Service. Now they will take a bit more time to carefully develop new terms and also include member feedback in the process. Read more about it in these two blog posts by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg:
On Facebook, People Own and Control Their Information
I think that’s the right way to do it and I am confident about the outcome. Lesson learned.
By Hochzeitsfotograf Daniel Zihlmann
They changed it back… go on hop back with us on FB :)
sounds like Facebook made the same mistake that Google made with their Chrome (web browser) end user license agreement
Hello Dani: i did read the stuff about facebook, but i know they also changed it back…nonetheless…i dont put all of my personal data…but ohhh well….
by the way…i understood about 3 or 4 sentences in the whole story…i am not used to trying to understand german sooo fast…..little by little..hahaha….
PS.. i LOVED that pic of the baby with the doggy…..when are you coming to the US so you can photograph my Dolce….he’s soooo cute….you would love him im sure….
abrazos….
auf wiedersen, mildred