All public events are fair game.
This means photos made of you visiting concerts (singing out loud, so flattering), of your family at the beach (yeah think of you wearing that bikini – or worse your kid pulling it down ..), visits to restaurants (nothing as becoming as a close-up of you eating in public), or any other public gathering can be used without a worry in the world. Most of us knew that, right? We never expect these photographs appearing on a billboard or bus, at least never without granting permission.
How about the content and media you share on Facebook?
Here is what they state in their new 2015 TOS – which by the way backdates ( !!! ):
You grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.
So, post a photograph on FB and it is free to use, from there on.
Do you really want certain pictures you posted on FB 4 years ago to appear on billboards/buses? Most of us think that this wont happen anyway; why would anybody want to post my ugly selfie in public space? You could be so wrong (and sorry), and worse; there is nothing you can do about it. No consent needed, no copyright protection, no informing you about any use whats so ever. Picture a personal photograph of your kid, used to advertise dipers – and you were never told about it.
Well, it is too late anyway, even if you delete your FB account right now – and how many of us would do that? Anything shared, ever, is out there and now belongs to Facebook. — [[chatdislike]] [[iidislyk]]
I wonder how professional photographers handle this, for example there is a store around the corner where I live, they post their photo-shoots on a Facebook fanpage. This was always considered good marketing, you need social media to promote and sell your product, right? Well, if they do not delete their page before January 1 2015, they are handing out freebies. Oh and reach all their customers, who have proudly shared the photographs on their Facebook pages already, for sure… yep, too late.
Chantal Harvey 