Instagram has a problem

Angry users say they will ditch Instagram over policy changes granting the service the rights to use their photos. Of course, what people say they will do in the heat of the moment isn't necessarily what they eventually do, especially when extra effort is required -- in this case, recovering images from the service. Still, among respondents to a BetaNews poll, the number planning to keep Instagram is statistically zero (5 votes). Forty percent will stop using or cancel the service. However, a much larger number, 60 percent, already aren't users.

The Instagram backlash is nothing but fierce, for terms like these: "Instagram does not claim ownership of any Content that you post on or through the Service. Instead you hereby grant to Instagram 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". The photo-sharer later claimed misunderstanding and poor wording, but you tell me what's unclear here.

I share colleague Mihaita Bamburic's sentiment: "I personally am amazed by the rather condescending response to serious concerns raised by the media, and the rather substantial differences between what's written and what the company's co-founder says that people should actually read into".

Thirteen days ago, National Geographic boasted about becoming "the No. 1 media brand on Instagram". Following the policy change, the organization is out: "@NatGeo is suspending 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".

"Anything that FB touches turns to s#!t. And yes, this will effectively kill Instagram", BetaNews reader psycros asserts. Facebook paid $1 billion for Instagram in April and closed the deal three months ago.

"I have never been a fanatical user of the service", Neoprimal comments. "I have maybe three nice pics I posted on there. It's not a staple for me. I'm not really into 'social pictures'. This however does make me worry about posting anything, just because I have no real idea what they can or would do with the picture".

John Dobbs "deleted my Instagram account this week, like a lot of people. Decided to go with Flickr". Oh? Perhaps that explains all the people who added me as Flickr contacts over the last 24 hours. There's a sudden surge. Some are new Flickr, while others obviously just migrated photos from Instagram (new collection is pretty obvious).

Alfie Goodrich "deleted my account tonight and whether Instagram backtracks on its statement earlier this week or not, I am 100 percent happy with deleting my stuff".

And you?

Photo Credit: argus/Shutterstock

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