Facebook Inc (FB) Owned Instagram Says ‘We Won’t Sell Your Photos’

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Facebook Inc (FB) Owned Instagram Says 'We Won't Sell Your Photos'

Instagram’s CEO is doing some damage control after users of the service became irate over its new privacy policy and terms of service. The new terms will become effective in a month, and they seem to allow for the photos of Instagram users to be used in advertisements without permission. This change in terms was initiated by Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), which recently acquired Instagram. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has been looking for ways to monetize the service.

Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom posted a blog Tuesday in response to the irate comments from Facebook and Instagram users. “Since making these changes, we’ve heard loud and clear that many users are confused and upset about what the changes mean,” he wrote.

The point of the post was to let Instagram users know that the company is taking their concerns into account and will be making modifications to some parts of the terms so that they will have a clearer understanding of what will happen with the photos they upload to the site.

Systrom said their intent in updating the site’s terms was “to communicate that we’d like to experiment with innovative advertising that feels appropriate on Instagram.” He said many people have misinterpreted the language to mean that Instagram was planning on selling their photos to other people without compensating them. “It is not our intention to sell your photos,” Systrom wrote.

The language in the updated terms has also been said to indicate that users’ photos can be used as part of an advertisement, but Systrom said they plan to remove the part that raised that question. He also said Instagram users will retain ownership and control over their own photos even after they upload them to the site. Also Instagram’s privacy settings will continue to enable users to control who can see their photos.

To read Systrom’s full post, click here.

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