Facebook Terms of Service (ToS) — What you don’t know
Everyone is familiar with the dreaded Terms of Service (ToS) — a long document detailing what the website has rights to and what the users can and cannot do. This document is presented to the user before making an account on social media platforms such as Facebook, the biggest social media platform on the planet. Internet users have a “say it quick, say it well” attitude, as a result, most users do not even bother to look at the ToS. This is what makes “I have read and agree to these terms and conditions” the biggest lie one has made. There are very huge risks associated with this behavior, which includes missing out on important details such as what Facebook has control over.
Don’t feel like reading the ToS? Worry not! This article will show what you may not know you agreed to when you signed up for Facebook.
Facebook has the right to use your name, profile picture, content and information without payment
When you post photos or videos (which Facebook refers to as “IP content”), you give Facebook the right to use your content— unless your IP content or your account is deleted. One important thing to keep in mind however is that other users could download your content, so if they post your content, Facebook still has the rights to your content.
Facebook could use your search queries, location, and photos you send through messages for ads and services
Facebook could tell companies what you search for so that Facebook could show relevant ads to you. So if you have been searching about watches, watch ads are likely to show up. Facebook may also look at your location, what you send through messages, device information, network and connections, what websites you go to, as well as your payments. So Facebook knows quite a lot about you!
You cannot create a Facebook account with false information, and you must keep your contact information accurate and up-to-date
This is something most of us are guilty of. Facebook forbids users to fake their personal info which includes age and name. Not only can’t you put false information, but you have to keep your information accurate and up to date.
If you want to keep your information private such as your current location, it is better not to put any information instead of falsifying.
You cannot create a Facebook account if you are a convicted sex offender
If you find a convicted sex offender on Facebook, you could report them on Facebook and have their account disabled.
Facebook can remove or reclaim your username
Usernames are taken on a first-come-first-served basis. You could take any username you like as long as it is not available, but if you happen to pick a trademarked username (that is, your username is the name of a company), the company could complain to Facebook and reclaim that username from you.
You cannot create more than one account
Most users are probably aware of this, but it is important to state this otherwise. There are many users out there with multiple accounts. Facebook could disable one of your accounts if they know that you have more than one.
If you are an app developer, you have to delete user info upon request
When you first use an app on Facebook, they will ask your permission to use your basic info or other data needed to run the application. If you no longer want the app to keep your information, you could simply tell the app developers to delete your data.
Sure, the Terms of Service is a long and boring read, but keep the following in mind when you check that “I have read and agree to the terms and conditions” box. Always remember that the ToS is an online contract, and not reading a contract before signing always leads to some serious consequences.
Watch how peope react once they read Facebook’s Terms of Service in this video posted by AJ+:
