Is Facebook forever?

The blogosphere erupts after Facebook changes its policy on its rights to photos and video after a user leaves

You can leave Facebook, said Chris Walters in consumer advocacy blog The Consumerist, but a part of you will stay behind forever. The social-networking site’s terms of service used to say its rights to your original content expire when you close an account. But a new change says that Facebook now has the right to do “whatever it wants” with your old photos and comments. So don’t upload anything “you don't feel comfortable giving away forever, because it's Facebook's now.”

The Consumerist’s alarm sparked a predictable outcry from privacy advocates, said Caroline McCarthy in CNET News, but “most Facebook users won’t give a hoot.” Facebook eased some fears by quickly clarifying its rules, and stressing that it never claimed ownership of its users’ pictures and videos. And the website also promised always to respect your original privacy settings, so the general public will never see anything you wanted to keep within a small circle of friends.

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