Instagram's changes to terms of use may cause its users to snap

Move marks first big change in policy at Instagram since it was bought in August by Facebook

It must have been an interesting few days at Instagram headquarters. Only a matter of hours after the photosharing service had published the planed changes to its terms of use, it was facing a mass revolt from users concerned Instagram was planning to sell their photos.

Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom took to the company’s blog on Tuesday night to reassure users, and acknowledged it had used confusing language – a mistake he promised to correct.

The free social app is implementing the changes from January 16th, with a number of key changes to terms and conditions that raised eyebrows among its 100 million users.

It’s the first big change in policy since Facebook completed the acquisition of Instagram in August, and the move is intended to integrate the two services.

The company’s rise in popularity has been swift in the two years since its initial release. It reached the one billion photo mark in May this year, when 58 images were being uploaded every second.

It has also moved on to the Android platform, releasing its app for Google’s phone software in April 2012.

Planned changes

Among the changes are Instagram washing its hands of responsibility for uploaded photos, and the warning it could use paid or sponsored content without notifying users that it is doing so.

But the main quibble was over a small provision inserted that gives Instagram the rights to use images commercially on the service to third parties.

The company insists users retain all ownership of their photos, and users grant Instagram” a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide licence” to use the content”.

It also says: “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.”

The move has users scrambling to close accounts, with one user describing it as “Instagrams suicide note”.

The language, as usual, was broad-ranging – presumably to cover all eventualities for the future.

But it sparked panic among users and privacy groups, particularly regarding younger users.

To use Instagram, you have to be over the age of 13, but privacy groups have raised concerns about the use of teenagers’ photos for advertising purposes.

The updated contract covers that; those users under 18 must agree that at least one parent or guardian has agreed to their content being used in such a way.

But the company has since distanced itself from any suggestion it would be exploiting photos in such a way. Systrom said it planned to remove the reference that led users to believe photos could become part of an advertisement.

“Our intention in updating the terms was to communicate that we’d like to experiment with innovative advertising that feels appropriate on Instagram,” he wrote. “Instead it was interpreted by many that we were going to sell your photos to others without any compensation. This is not true and it is our mistake that this language is confusing. To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos.”

There is one way to stop Instagram from using your photos for anything outside your own circle of followers: turn your account to private.

If you don’t want to take the risk, however, there are options.

But you have to move fast, because the new policy kicks in on January 16th.

Deleting your account is the ultimate step. If you want to retain your Instagram archive of photos, you can download them first using a tool such as Instaport.

The service has been hit with a surge of users, prompting the company to Tweet “Please be patient. If your export does not work right now, please try again later. Our servers are running hot . . .”

Then all that remains is for you to log into Instagram’s website, go to the account removal page and wave goodbye to your social photo sharing.

High five Alternative apps

Hipstamatic

Before Instagram came along to give your images a retro slant, there was Hipstamatic. The app differs from Facebook’s photo service in that you choose the film, flash and lens effects before you take the photo rather than after, which makes it slightly less versatile. You can add in more packs though, extending the capability. Plus you get some retro “cases” for the app to make it really look like an old camera.

Cost: 89 cent

Available for: iOS

Flickr

Yahoo’s photo service may have been behind the curve when it comes to building something that social media users have embraced, but its latest app updates make it a worthy contender. The revamped version includes easy Facebook, Twitter and Google+ sharing. The drawback is that the free account currently only allows you to display 200 of the most recent photos. To get any more than that you’ll have to upgrade to a pro account, which costs the princely sum of $25 per year.

Cost: Free

Available for: iOS, Android, desktop

Twitter

Don’t discount the microblogging site either. An update for Twitter’s app means you can now apply filters to your photos before you post them. Sure, it may not be quite the same as Instagram – you won’t have people liking your photos and there isn’t a way just to follow photo streams from people – but if your main goal is sharing photos with the masses, then it certainly does the job.

Cost: Free

Available for: iOS, Android

Snapseed

As a photo editing tool, snapseed is pretty powerful. It does everything Instagram does and more – it applies filters, it lets you tweak everything from white balance and brightness to contrast and saturation.

Then you can whack more filters over the top, to give it a grunge look, or maybe add a few “authentic” scratches or light leaks to the image. From within the app, you can share directly to Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

Cost: free

Available for: iOS, Android, desktop

PS Express

Adobe’s version for mobile devices may not quite rival its desktop brethren, but it will certainly cover the basics. You can manipulate images – flip, rotate, straighten – or mess with the white balance and contrast. It gives you some sample effects for free, but you have to shell out for the packs, which give you everything from tilt and shift to distorted image effects.

Cost: Free

Available for: iOS, Android