User Anger Instagram co-founder responded well

CAS Channel -- If you felt a disturbance in the force earlier today, it was probably the Internet losing its collective cool over Instagram‘s -new- Terms of Service, which go into effect on January 16, 2013. We picked apart the -new- Terms in the latest installment of SlashGear 101, -and- while there are a few questionable Terms you’ll be agreeing to, the major sticking point with -use-rs comes in an entry -that- outlines what Instagram can do with the photos you take. In short, by signing these -new- Terms of Service, you’re giving Instagram permission “a non-exclusive, fully paid -and- royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to -use- the Content -that- you post on or through the Service.”

-that- doesn’t sound very good, -and- indeed a lot of Instagram -use-rs – some of whom are professional photographers – are taking issue with -that- little cla-use-, threatening to delete their accounts -and- move to Instagram’s competitors in protest. -that- obviously wouldn’t be very good for Instagram, which is why co-founder Kevin Systrom has taken to the Instagram Blog in an attempt to settle everyone down. His blog post is split up into three parts: advertising, ownership rights, -and- privacy settings, with advertising being far -and- away the largest section.

“I’m writing this today to let you know we’re listening -and- to commit to you -that- we will be doing more to answer your questions, fix any mistakes, -and- eliminate the confusion,” Systrom said. “As we review your feedback -and- stories in the press, we’re going to modify specific parts of the terms to make it more clear what will happen with your photos.” He points out -that- Instagram is first a business, hence the need for advertising, -and- -that- the update to the Terms of Service was to let -use-rs know -that- the company was considering testing “innovative advertising” -that-’s appropriate for Instagram. He clarifies -that- there are no plans to sell -use-rs’ photos, -and- -that- Instagram is currently working on clarifying the language in the Terms of Service.

He also reiterates -that- -use-rs will retain rights over the photos they upload to Instagram, but -that-’s something we already k-new-, considering -that- it says so right in the updated Terms. According to him, the company doesn’t have any plans to -use- members’ photos in advertisements, -and- the language -that- suggested as much will be removed. Finally, it appears -that- nothing is changing as far as privacy goes – if you set your profile to private, only those who you approve as followers will be able to see them.

It’s been a rough day for Instagram, so it isn’t really surprising to see Systrom take to the blog to try to smooth things over. His full post is definitely worth reading if you’re a concerned Instagram -use-r on the verge of deleting your account, so be sure to have a look at it. We’re not sure how much this is going to help in the long run, what with the controversy spreading across the Internet like wildfire, but hearing from Systrom is better than nothing at all. Are you back on board with Instagram, or are you still taking your photos -and- hitting the ol’ dusty trail?