Instagram Updates Privacy Policy, Seeks Right To Sell Users’ Photos To Advertisers

The photo-sharing site of Facebook, Instagram has recently updated its privacy policy. Its new privacy policy gives it the power to sell photos of its users to advertisers without informing them.

Users have a deadline period till 16^th January. After that, they will not be able to opt out.

The changes in the policy also imply that Instagram can share information about its users with Facebook, which happens to be its parent company now, and also with advertisers and affiliates.

The move has enraged users.

VP of global marketing solutions at Facebook, Carolyn Everson had mentioned earlier this month that with time there will be a way to monetize Instagram.

The notice regarding the new privacy policy on Instagram site included that it may use people’s information from cookies, log records and location data with enterprises that help in providing services to users.

However, Instagram mentioned that it intends to make things simpler to work with Facebook. It said in the statement that the move is to fight spam more efficiently, identify reliability issues faster and make features for all users by understanding how Instagram is used.

The updated policy, however, will not change the ways in which ownership of photos are handled or who is able to view the pictures of a user.

The new policy has prompted a criticism among several social media users.

Clayton Cubbit, a photographer based in New York has stated in his account that the updated policy is a suicide note.

Analysts feel that the new policy could result in a severe blow to the reputation of Facebook and push away some users.

Chairman of TechMarketView, Richard Holway said that each time the social marketing giant has modified their privacy policy, it has always attracted criticism leading to a retreat. They tamper with privacy of people at a cost, upsetting people.