Updated Updated Update: Instagram have removed the ability to delete your account. We’re not sure if this temporary or not, or whether they are hoping that people trying to delete their account forget by the time the function is back up.

Updated Update: Instagram are now reverting back to the original terms of service. So it was all a nice bit of PR over a quiet period then!

Update: Instagram have posted a response in which they say they ‘are listening’ and as such they will be rewording their terms of service. It will be interesting to see if this combats some of the fears that Instagram users have.

Yesterday saw the release of Instagram’s new terms of service which, it’s safe to say, have riled up a fair few people.

The objectionable section of the release refers to the effective ownership of your photos by Instagram (and therefore Facebook) which allows them the right to sell said photos on to third-party advertisers.

It has sparked a debate about online proprietorship and ‘open-source’ content and what the legal implications of such arrangements are, as well as spurring a mass boycotting of the service.

You can learn more about terms of service and proprietary rights on our Social Media Courses.

So if you too are concerned about having your photos left to the mercy of Instagram’s ad team, there’s really only one option. Delete your account. Delete it now.

Wait! Stop! Before you do that have a long, hard think. As happens when any service updates their terms everyone is jumping up and down in anger but there are definitely some reasons to hang around:

1. It’s most likely to just be legal speak. Instagram are unlikely to start running a ShutterStock service, it’s just a way of opening up the service for future use (a bit like Google’s recent privacy update).
2. If you’ve built up a strong presence/ following on Instagram you will lose that in it’s entirety! It’s almost impossible to migrate 100% of followers from one network to another.
3. If you were truly worried about privacy before then you never would have uploaded your images to the internet in the first place.
4. “If you’re not paying for something, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold.”

If you’re still convinced deletion is the way to go then read on to find out how…

Deleting Your Account

So you’re really going for it? Okay, so firstly all of these following steps will need to be done before the ‘deadline’ of January 16th. If not, then you are effectively licencing Facebook and Instagram the right to use your photos how they like. Even if you delete your account after this, your images will remain in their hands.

So firstly, you need to download the photos that you want to keep. There are various tools for this, although the most popular, Instaport (which downloads photos into a zip file), is at the time of writing displaying a message warning of high traffic and slow downloads. Maybe try another such as OpenPhoto or Snapjoy, although bear in mind these are predominantly online storage systems.

Once you’ve done that, it’s deleting time. Follow this link to the Instagram help page which will guide you through the process of deleting your account. Bear in mind that if you ever have a change of heart, you won’t be able to re-register the same username.

 

Finally, sit back, take stock and start looking for a replacement.

We recommend Hipstamatic, Hipster or Streamzoo which far from being Instagram clones, each bring a slightly different feature or element to the mix. Or alternatively, skip out the middle man and do it yourself on Photoshop – try our Photoshop training if your not confident with the program.

It’s worth noting how this all came about so let’s take a look at the context of this fiasco.

Tweet no More

Although not directly related, it can certainly be said that the change in compatibility between Twitter and Instagram got the ball rolling on a public backlash.

One of Instagram’s defining and most attractive features was it’s ease of use and seamless integration with other social sites. Removing that integration began to erode its USP. You can read about how image sharing sites like Instagram came to define Social Media this year in our post about the Biggest Social Media Stories of 2012.

I am by no means suggesting that Instagram is on it’s way out, any company backed by Facebook has a solid chance of survival, but what has happened between Tweet-gate and this recent scandal is a gradual building of distrust and public disengagement.

Pinterest Joins the Party

The gap left by Instagram was immediately plugged by that other great photo-sharing force, Pinterest. Yes, the integration once reserved for Instagram and Twitter has now been opened up to the site that’s filled with pictures of cakes.

This is great news for Pinterest/Twitter crossover fans but whether it has the support and interest level to challenge the Facebook/Instagram model remains to be seen.

At least it did but what with Instagram’s recent faux-pas it may have just compounded it’s woes and ultimately lost the battle of wits.

Terms of Service

And so it was the case that Instagram’s new term’s of service couldn’t have come at a less opportune moment for the reputation of the company.

While it’s unlikely that one of your photos will turn up on an out-of-town billboard, it is the principle that Instagram will own the rights to any user’s photos for any advertisement (and therefore money-making) opportunity they see fit, that has worried and angered uploaders.

What’s more concerning is that this change requires no permission other than continued use of the service and no option to opt out.

So what’s the answer? I think you know by now – if you enjoy owning the rights to your own creative output then it’s time to give up those filters.

Of course if you have no issue with your photos being used for anything then continue as you are, otherwise get ready to say goodbye to Instagram for ever.

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filters, hipster, hipstermatic, Instagram, instaport, integration, social media platforms, streamzoo, terms of service

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