Instagram performs a U-turn and will re-word Terms and Conditions

instagram-48In what has to be a damage control exercise, Kevin Systrom co-founder of Instagram has admitted they made a mistake and promised to re-word their terms and conditions text. On the Instagram company blog he posted:

To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos. We are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear.

They must have wondered what hit them.

Yesterday Instagram released a new set of Terms and Conditions and advised any of their users that didn’t like the new terms to close their accounts before the new conditions came into effect on January 16. Clause 2 of the ‘Rights’ section reads as follows:

Some or all of the Service may be supported by advertising revenue. To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.

Basically it says that  they’ll sell your pictures, your user name, comments, and any other data you provide for advertising. Not surprisingly the users thought this a bit off, and they started to complain.

Within hours there was a hint of a u-turn on Twitter

Followed by:

Now we just have to wait and see what the Instagram legal team come up with next. Maybe they can also send some advice to the people who put together the appalling Terms and Conditions on the embryonic new Myspace site.

Read Kevin Systrom’s Instagram Blog Post