Instagram bullshit

I will be quitting Instagram today. What a bummer. You should all read their new rules. — Pink

Trust me, deleting your Instagram account is satisfying. — Mia Farrow

No more Instagram. — Kate Walsh

Either Kevin Systrom is stupid or he thinks Instagram users are stupid.

It could not have been more explicit, from 16 January 2013, new terms and conditions come into force, you have no choice, you are opted in like it or not, and once opted in Instagram deem that you have granted permission for your pictures to be sold to third parties whether you like it or not, you won’t get paid, you won’t even be notified.

We may share your information as well as information from tools like cookies, log files, and device identifiers and location data with organisations that help us provide the service to you… (and) third-party advertising partners.

To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.

But according to Kevin Systrom co-founder of Instagram, it does not mean what was writ, that is just poor use of English language.

Our intention in updating the terms was to communicate that we’d like to experiment with innovative advertising that feels appropriate on Instagram. 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. We are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear.

Now what when it is at home is ‘ experiment with innovative advertising that feels appropriate on Instagram’, other than bullshit, within a denial that is in itself bullshit.

It was not ‘ interpreted by many that we were going to sell your photos to others without any compensation’, that is what Instagram explicitly stated would happen on 16 January 2013, and the only way to stop this happening was to delete your Instagram account, which many have quite wisely chosen to do.

Facebook, which owns Instagram, and paid a ludicrous price for a fairly worthless application, is a rapacious corporation that thinks nothing of violating the privacy of its users.

Also contrast Kevin Systrom had to say with what Carolyn Everson, Facebook vice president of global marketing, had to say:

There are many brands that use Instagram right now to try to get a feel for how to engage with their followers. We will definitely be figuring out a monetisation strategy. When that will happen, I can’t comment, but it’s going to happen.

What therefore is going on?

Yesterday, according to Anonymous, 500,000 users deleted their Instagram accounts. Today Instagram violating their users and the reaction of users was the front page story on the Metro, so expect more users to delete their accounts. All of which will send facebook shares into free fall.

As already noted, facebook paid a ludicrous amount for a worthless application. The price was not paid in cash, it was cash and facebook shares. Now you will understand the statement of Kevin Systrom. It is not that he cares about users, but he does care about his wealth rapidly vanishing.

Announcing the apparent change of mind, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom told users: “It is not our intention to sell your photos.” He didn’t say “It never was”. He didn’t even say “We never will.”

Systrom claimed the language the original terms and conditions used “raised questions”. His problem is that it didn’t. It told us what sort of a company Instagram is. No wonder users are still closing their accounts.

Would Systrom have even contradicted the Instagram violation of users if there had not been a mass deletion of Instagram accounts?

We all know the answer, which is why the advice is delete Instagram.

The advice is still, delete your Instagram account, post on twitter with the hashtag #BoycottInstagram that you have closed your account.

• Instagram abuses its users
• Instagram denies it wants to sell users’ photos amid threatened exodus
• Instagram and privacy: mistake or conspiracy?
• Instagram waters down plan to make profit from photos in face of fury – but it STILL plans to use your profile picture in ads

Tags: Instagram, Instagram bullshit, privacy, violation of privacy