Users of the photo-sharing app Instagram
reacted angrily Tuesday to changes in privacy protection that would
allow the company to sell their photographs to advertisers.
The changes were detailed in an update to Instagram's terms of
service, and were dubbed a "suicide note" by one influential user in
an online tirade against the company which was bought earlier this
year by Facebook for 1 billion dollars.
The update said that Instagram may show ads on the site and share
data with Facebook. The most controversial update stated that "a
business or other entity may pay us to display your username,
likeness, photos and/or any actions you take without any
compensation to you."
Clayton Cubbitt, a New York photographer who is one of the site's
most influential users, said in a message posted on the site that the
change in the terms of service represented "Instagram's suicide note.
Other users, including pop star Pink, said they would close their
Instagram account and share their pictures on one of the many
competing services.
Analyst Michael Gartenberg said that Instagram was widely expected
to start monetizing its service, but may have taken things too far.
"While consumers may be okay with ad-supported services, providing
content, sometimes personal, for ads may well cause a backlash for
both Instagram and Facebook," Michael Gartenberg, research director
at Gartner Inc., told dpa.
