From a legal and privacy perspective, it's an interesting question whether or not the photos or anything else we upload to Facebook belongs to us. Facebook has highlighted extensive details about this, but let's face it, we wouldn't invest our time going through every detail about this issue.
Do the images I upload to the social network belong to Facebook?
The answer is no, as the world of copyright doesn't work that way. If you took them with your camera, they still belong to you, not Facebook. However, there are some gray areas, highlighted on Facebook's terms of service page, that we recommend you pay close attention to.
"You own the content and information you post on Facebook and you can control how it is shared through your privacy and app settings."
What rights does Facebook have over the photos I've uploaded? Do I own my photos on Facebook?
HowToGeek has managed to see through the loopholes in Facebook's terms of service and reports that the social network will grant your photos a "non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, worldwide license." What exactly does this mean for ownership of your photos? This means you'll still own them in terms of ownership, but there's a lot of depth to it.
The above sentence refers to a “worldwide royalty-free license,” meaning Facebook can use your photos pretty much as it sees fit, and you don’t have the freedom to seek compensation if you feel offended by their actions. In simpler terms, this means that suing them is pointless.
Regarding the term “transferable”, it means that Facebook can either transfer the license to another entity or simply grant it, and this will again be done without your permission.
As for “non-exclusive,” it means you’re free to license your photo to anyone else you want, and Facebook or its legal team aren’t going to stop you. Just because you’ve uploaded a photo to Facebook doesn’t mean you can’t share it on other social media networks, like Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.
Why did Facebook impose these terms? Is it bad?
Think of it this way – in order for Facebook to work the way it does, the above terms and conditions were created. If they weren’t there, then publicly displaying your photos would be completely impossible.
Without licensing terms, the door would be open to continued infringement of your copyright. So having these terms is more useful than we thought.
How can I better control my photos and data on Facebook?
You still have the freedom to choose who can see the photos you upload to your profile. This way, they won't be able to access your photos and download them. All you have to do is set the appropriate security options and you won't have a problem. As for ownership, you'll be able to manage what gets uploaded, but Facebook will still be able to use them at its own discretion.
However, don't forget that the company is definitely not going to exploit anything you upload in an unethical way, so you have nothing to worry about. The privacy settings are there to make sure that the site operates without any legal issues.
