Instagram Dials Back New Privacy Rules After User Revolt

[ed. Well, that was quick. Whatever it decides to do, Facebook just keeps pushing the boundaries of user patience. Eventually, many (like myself) will just give up. It's too bad because FB is really a great innovation. Maybe there's another FB ver.2 waiting in the wings? See the post below on SnapChat.]

Instagram sought to calm a growing furor among its more than 7 million users by saying it would clarify a new, controversial privacy policy. The policy would have given the popular Facebook-owned service the ability to profit from and control images posted through the popular photo-sharing app.

On Tuesday, the company announced it would reword language from the policy and terms of service that said: “A business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos … and/or any other actions you take … without any compensation to you.” Announced Monday, the rule had been set to go into effect on Jan. 16—and was interpreted by many users to mean that Instagram would take user photos and sell them.

But Kevin Systrom, an Instagram co-founder, wrote in a post on the company's blog that it was never the company's intention to sell photos but rather to use a customer's information to allow businesses and other users to advertise to them as a way of gaining followers. He called the initial wording of the agreement "confusing" and "our mistake."

He added, "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. The language we proposed also raised question about whether your photos can be part of an advertisement. We do not have plans for anything like this, and because of that we’re going to remove the language that raised the question."

It was not immediately clear, however, if Instagram's peace offering would be enough to appease thousands of users who were in open revolt over the app's proposed rule changes. Monday's announcement had sent many of the photo-sharing app’s most prolific users into a frenzy, prompting dozens of celebrities and well-known photographers who have adopted Instagram as a journalistic tool to threaten to delete their accounts. (Full disclosure: I am an enthusiastic user of Instagram, having posted on it more than 1,000 photos of the 2012 presidential campaign.)

by Holly Bailey, Yahoo News |  Read more:

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images