CENTRAL COAST, Calif. -- Before
you snap that photo and upload it to your mobile, photo-sharing app,
Instagram...make sure you read the new terms and agreement.
As of January 16, Instagram says it has the right to use
your photos with permission.
The CEO Kevin Systrom has since
backtracked this afternoon in a blog post saying the company plans to "modify
specific parts of the terms to make it more clear what will happen with your
photos."
Instagram's new terms and
agreement says it can sell your photos for ads without asking you or
compensating for the pictures and that's not sitting right with many of its
users.
"It's stupid because we took the
photos, so we should be able to use it for our own use," says Instagram user Tony Vuong.
But after releasing its new terms
and agreements, Instagram says: "You agree that a
business may pay us for your username, likeness and photos in connection with
paid promotions without any compensation to you."
"If they're going to sell it and
make a profit out of it," says Vuong. "That's our photos! That's our
property!"
There are alternatives. Apps like
Twitter now offer their own Instagram style filters built right within the app.
They may not have as many filters as Instagram but expect more to come soon.
Other photo-sharing sites like
Flickr jumped at the chance to lure in users reminding them that Flickr will
only display your content for the sole purpose of such content.
While some users launched a
"Boycott Instagram" protest to encourage users to delete their
accounts.
But that won't change the minds
of some users.
"I'm kind of addicted," says
Instagram user Rachael Bean.
