'Misinterpreted' Instagram explains new privacy policy to users

BANGALORE, INDIA: On December 17, Instagram announced a change to its terms of use. The changes, which go into effect January 16, 2013, have lead to a lot of criticism and drew users' fury. What lead to the user outcry is a sentence in the new terms of use that says:

''To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.''

According to media reports, users who decline to accept Instagram's new privacy policy have one month to delete their accounts, or they will be bound by the new terms. In forcefully establishing a new set of usage terms, Instagram, the massively popular photo-sharing service owned by Facebook Inc, has claimed some rights that have been practically unheard of among its prominent social media peers, legal experts and consumer advocates say

Enraged users wasted no time in unleashing their rage on Twitter. ''So I guess now company's can take any random persons picture from Instagram and use it for advertisement without the persons approval WTF,'' says a tweet from an upset user.

''Anyone else thinking of deleting their Instagram account? I'm dreading doing it as I really like it! Not sure what to do,'' says another. However, the co-founder of Instagram Kevin Systrom has explained the whole debacle on the official blog.

''Since making these changes, we've heard loud and clear that many users are confused and upset about what the changes mean. 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,'' he says in the blog. He also adds that legal documents are easy to ''misinterpret''.

''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,'' he explains in the blog.

However, according to a report on Reuters, the blog post has failed to appease critics including National Geographic, which suspended new posts to Instagram. "We are very concerned with the direction of the proposed new terms of service and if they remain as presented we may close our account," said National Geographic, an early Instagram adopter.

What do you have to say? Are you satified with the explanation given by Instagram? Do let us know.