Late breaking news: Facebook has delayed the implementation of the new policy. Send your comments to Facebook today. Link at the bottom of this post.
Facebook has just claimed the right to use or sell your identity, your content and your data without limit. They have nuked their own privacy policy, removing the right for you to keep anything private. This takes the suckiness of the Instagram contract and adds even more suck by explicitly making you agree that everything they know about you is for sale, and that you have no right to keep any of it private. The new terms are set to take effect next Thursday.
You can find the proposed document here.
Facebook has asked for comments. They can be posted here.
Here’s the most important language (strikethrough indicates language that is being removed. Bold text is used to indicate the new additions).
You can use your privacy settings to limit how your name and profile picture may be associated with commercial, sponsored, or related content (such as a brand you like) served or enhanced by us. You give us permission to use your name, and profile picture, content, and information in connection with commercial, sponsored, or related that content (such as a brand you like) served or enhanced by us, subject to the limits you place. This means, for example, that you permit a business or other entity to pay us to display your name and/or profile picture with your content or information, without any compensation to you. If you have selected a specific audience for your content or information, we will respect your choice when we use it.
The Section-by-Section Summary of Updates takes pains to claim that Facebook has the right to collect and make use of data that it finds “when you are using Fcebook or when Facebook is running.” This probably gives Facebook a license to collect, use, share and sell most of your web browsing (unless you are running software to block cookies) and much of what your mobile phone is gathering, such as your location, phone calls, etc.
They are already collecting a lot of this information. The screenshot below is from my Facebook feed a few hours after I did a search for a hotel in Reston on a totally unrelated site. Facebook is already collecting, using and selling this kind of information. They are now asking for irrevokable permission to continue, and to add your photos to the mix.
As with the Instagram Terms of Use, I believe that Facebook is asking for open-ended permission here that does not serve the needs of users. This is an overly broad agreement that shifts the control over a person or company’s content and identity too far into the hands of Facebook.
I’ll be deleting the mobile application off my phone because I’m uncomfortable with the amount of data it gives to the company. I’ll have to think about any additional action depending on how the company responds to the comments.