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After last week’s rumors that we might soon see advertisements in our Instagram feeds, Facebook’s real plan for monetization has a lot more people up in arms. Instagram added a line to their Terms of Service, which states that “a business may pay Instagram permission to display your photos in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions without any compensation to you.” Since the initial outrage, however, Instagram apologized and shifted its stance, saying that they have no intention of selling your photos. The company also wanted to clarify that it does not plan to make your photos part of advertisements, it does not own your content and emphasized that you can still set your photos to private. Instagram also apologized for causing so much confusion, and vowed to be clearer with updates in the future. If you’re still wary of the whole thing, you can always delete your Instagram account by January 16, which was the date the new terms were supposedly set to begin.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.