termsofservice
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Twitch clarifies its ban on terrorist and extremist content
The service reinforced that there's no place for such material on its platform.
Twitter may label notable tweets that violate its terms
Twitter is considering a label for tweets that violate its rules but believes should remain on the platform because they're in the public interest. Twitter's head of legal, policy and trust Vijaya Gadde said in a Washington Post interview such a label could "put some context around [a tweet] so people are aware that that content is actually a violation of our rules and it is serving a particular purpose in remaining on the platform."
Unity rolls out new rules for devs after Improbable fight
Unity has had a change of heart. The company is updating its terms of service so that any third-party software, including SpatialOS, can be used in conjunction with its popular game engine. "Some of these services will be supported, others will not," Joachim Ante, co-founder and CTO of Unity said in a blog post. That's in stark contrast to the previous terms, published last December, which banned games from being run in the cloud, or on a remote server, "without a separate license or authorization from Unity."
Leaked Facebook documents show its shifting hate speech policies
Over the last year or so, Facebook's public statements have reflected the ongoing process of its moderation policies, both when it comes to election fraud and the even pricklier issue of hate speech. Now, beyond its publicly available Community Standards and various apologies, Motherboard has published internal documents showing what it's actually policing, and how that has changed over time.
Some Google Docs users are being locked out of their files (updated)
A number of Google Docs users have reported being locked out of their documents today for, according to the message that pops up when they try to access the affected document, violating Google's terms of service. Users that have tweeted about the issue have said their locked-out pieces were about a range of topics including wildfire crimes, post-socialist eastern Europe and a response to reviewers of an academic journal submission.
Russian-owned Livejournal bans dissenting speech to please Putin
Russia's hardline stance against LGBTQ media is back in the news. This time it's because a change in the terms of service for LiveJournal strictly prohibits users from posting "political solicitation materials" and anything "contradictory to the laws of the Russian Federation." As AdVox notes, what constitutes as such is wide open for interpretation. But it's feared that given recent history, this will be a uniform crackdown on posts that don't fit the express purview of Russia, including political dissent and pro-LGBTQ stances.
Google goes after Pixel resellers by locking their accounts
Google has taken severe measures against Pixel buyers who violated its terms of service. Around 200 people purchased the phones via Project Fi and shipped them directly to a reseller in sales tax-free state New Hampshire, according to bargain-hunting site Dan's Deals. The phones were then resold to others, and the small profit split with the buyers. However, Google's terms dictate that buyers may not "commercially resell" any device and it locked their accounts, denying access to photos, emails and other personal data.
WhatsApp won't comply with India's order to delete user data (updated)
WhatsApp's decision to share user data with Facebook has provoked the ire of yet another foreign government. Last week, India's Delhi High Court ordered WhatsApp to delete any data collected from users who opted out of the company's new privacy policy before September 25th. According to Mashable, however, WhatsApp has no plan to comply with the court order and it will have "no impact on the planned policy and terms of service updates." (Note: see update below.)
Sex censorship breeds a fetish-focused social network
She lay back on a tan leather chaise lounge in a luxury suite in a Las Vegas hotel, a VR headset covering her eyes, surrounded by strangers and coworkers. She squirmed with embarrassment, screamed, giggled and covered her already-obstructed eyes. Engadget's Director of Production, Heather Frank, was experiencing the future of pornography firsthand, and I captured it all for posterity. When I went to add the video to my collection of #VRPorn reaction posts, I did what any socially responsible millennial would and asked our hosts for their Instagram handle. As it turns out, Instagram was a touchy subject.
Actually read the iTunes TOS with this graphic adaptation
It's a little lie you tell every single time you sign up for anything on the internet. "I have read and agree to the terms of service." You haven't read them and everybody knows it, but maybe you should read the iTunes Terms and Conditions, just once. Not for legal reasons of course, or on Apple's website -- that would be boring -- but in R. Sikoryak's 'Unabridged Graphic Adaptation: iTunes Terms and Conditions.' It's exactly what it sounds like: two volumes of unwieldy legal jargon juxtaposed with gorgeous comic imagery.
Snapchat tells everyone to chill out over its new privacy policy
A few days ago, Snapchat updated its terms of use and privacy policy with some broadly-worded clauses that sent the internet into a tailspin. If you read it one way, you'd think that the firm would begin stockpiling your genital selfies, share them with the world and not even delete the pic on request. Of course, the company has now gone into damage-control mode, asking everyone to relax and clarifying that shots of your downstairs region remain your own business -- unless some cheeky individual screenshots something that they shouldn't.
Facebook promises better vetting for its social experiments
Facebook came under a ton of fire this summer when it revealed that it'd manipulated some peoples' news feeds in an experiment to track mood changes. Well, The Social Network took note and has recently announced it's changing how experiments will be performed and from here on out, Zuck and Co. will give researchers clearer guidelines to follow. Meaning, in part, that if a study drills down on a particular demographic or relates to something its users would consider "deeply personal" (i.e. feelings or moods), before the research begins it has to go through what Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer calls an advanced review process. That review process will be handled by senior-level employees from the social behemoth's engineering, research, legal and privacy-and-policy teams.
It's not just you: Terms of Service agreements really are confusing, study finds
You know that page with a check box you haphazardly agree to on the way to signing up for various online services? The one with the hundreds (or thousands) of words of legal mumbo jumbo? Yeah, we do the same thing -- it's okay. It's because those pages, the Terms of Service, are boring, lengthy, and probably meaningless. Right? Right?! Not necessarily. And a new study from Georgia Tech of the "top 30 social and fan creation sites" (from Facebook to Daily Motion) backs that up. Well, first things first: yes, Terms of Service agreements really are difficult to read. Of the 30 sites surveyed, an average reading level of college sophomore was required for comprehension of the TOS. To put it another way, around 60 percent of working age adults in the US (25 - 64) don't understand what they're agreeing to. "It is likely that users may not know what rights they are granting," the study says.
Google's new terms of service tell you that it's scanning email for ads
Many Gmail users know that the service scans email looking for ad keywords, but some have been upset that Google hasn't spelled this out -- enough so that there are several privacy lawsuits underway. The company may have just headed off future trouble, though, by updating its terms of service to clearly state what's taking place. Read through the giant text and you'll see that the company now explicitly warns that "automated systems analyze your content" for the sake of ads, customization and security.
If you use Google services, you could become an ad next month
Google users, you're about to become shills. A major update to the company's Terms of Service agreement today could have some users' profiles showing up in ads across the web. These "shared endorsements," as Google is calling them, leverage any reviews, comments, +1s, follows or stars a user may have given to a business or brand by effectively placing that user's name, photo and any relevant comment in a personalized advertisement. It's worth nothing, however, that if you've set restrictions on your shared comments, personalized ads will only be shown to friends within that Google+ circle. We know what you're thinking: you want out. Google knows this too, which is why the company is allowing users the ability to opt-out, while also excluding any and all users under the age of 18. And any users that previously opted out of +1s will automatically be exempted. The ads are set to go live on November 11th, so there's still about a month to go before users will begin to see these "shared endorsements" pop up, giving Google ample time to explain the change across its suite of services and users the ability to take appropriate action (and give up on the internet altogether).
Google blocks Microsoft's Windows Phone YouTube app... again (updated)
Everyone was understandably excited when Windows Phone got its own native YouTube app. That is, until Google decided it violated the terms of service by blocking advertisements and promptly asked Microsoft to remove the app. The two companies kissed, made up and collaborated on a new version that would adhere to Mountain View's developer guidelines. Unfortunately, it appears that, despite Big G's involvement, the latest version of YouTube for Windows Phone still has some issues that can't be overlooked. Only two days after returning, with the ability to upload video added as a bonus, Google has again begun blocking Microsoft's efforts. In an official statement YouTube said: "We're committed to providing users and creators with a great and consistent YouTube experience across devices, and we've been working with Microsoft to build a fully featured YouTube for Windows Phone app, based on HTML5. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not made the browser upgrades necessary to enable a fully-featured YouTube experience, and has instead re-released a YouTube app that violates our Terms of Service." Sources tell us that, specifically, Microsoft was not on board with developing an HTML5 based app. Instead the company quietly went back to work on its own native version and reverse-engineered the ad system in order to satisfy Google's terms of service. Unfortunately, this work-around means that Google can't guarantee the correct ads will be served up, leading the company to revoke Redmond's API key. We've reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update when we hear back. Update: A Microsoft spokesperson provided us with the following: "Google is blocking our updated YouTube app for Windows Phone. We are working with them to resolve the issue." Update II: And now, Microsoft has issued a longer response, and it's a doozy. We'll let you have a gander right here.
Instagram responds to user concerns, adjusts new Terms of Service to allay fears
Were you among the many put off or freaked out by Instagram's changes to its Terms of Service announced yesterday? You're not alone, as many informed the Facebook photo sharing platform that they weren't pleased by the new language -- they mistook it as a means for their photos to be monetized in unscrupulous ways. Good news is, Instagram heard these complaints and has responded, explaining the changes and pledging to nix parts that caused unnecessary confusion. In a blog post today, co-founder Kevin Systrom made clear that the ToS tweaks were meant to inform Instagrammers that the company wants "to experiment with innovative advertising." What kind of advertising? Say a company wants more folks following its Instagram account. According to Systrom, the changes allow Instagram to see which of the people you follow also follow that business and can use that information to better promote said company. Basically, the changes were made so Instagram can find ways to increase ad revenue without spoiling the UX with banner ads, but the service still retains the rights to use your information in ads -- and yes, even users under 18 are included. Additionally, Systrom made clear that users own their content and Instagram will not be selling user photos to advertisers. And, he has pledged that updated language to that effect is in the works. Still uneasy about using Instagram for your filtered photography needs? Head on over to the source for the full explanation straight from Systrom himself.
Instagram lays framework for monetization, sharing info with Facebook in ToS update
Facebook and Instagram will be able to get a bit cozier under that new shared roof beginning early next year. On January 16th, the photo sharing site's new Terms of Service will go into effect, enabling the network to share information, content and usage stats with "businesses that are legally part of the same group of companies that Instagram is part of, or that become part of the same group." In a blog post, Instagram reps outlined the benefits of the revision, explaining that the site will be able to "fight spam more effectively, detect system and reliability problems more quickly, and build better features for everyone by understanding how Instagram is used." Additionally, in the full ToS, the second item under Rights states "you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you." In short, Instagram has the right to share content that's already public with advertisers in order to generate revenue. If you're an Instagram user and you care about your rights while using the service, you'll be best served by making your way over to our source links below.
App.Net posts terms of service, asks for feedback
Against all odds App.Net met its funding goal, which has allowed the fledgling social network to shift its focus to the next phase of its founding. That means putting together all those essential documents that will govern its operation, including a terms of service and privacy policy. Creator Dalton Caldwell has posted first drafts of several docs and asked his backers for feedback, offering them an attempt to shape the rules that will guide how the site is run. Those policy documents are also going to be subjected to a quarterly review, which should allow the service to remain nimble if some rules turn out to be controversial or cumbersome. For more info, check out the source link.
Google revamps Play Store developer rules, looks to banish intrusive advertising
Google has tweaked the developer policy for the Play Store with an eye on reducing intrusive advertising, spoof apps and clarifying subscription cancellations. Apps that pass themselves off as others, or are "confusingly similar" will now be pulled, so say goodbye to those thousand instances of Angry Byrdz. Adverts that pop up in your notifications window, like Airpush and KDDI's au one now make their way onto the verboten list. It's also clarifying that when users cancel their subscriptions, they won't be refunded for the current billing period, but will continue to receive what they'd paid for until the term expires. Developers now have 30 days to comply with the changes, after which point apps that are found to be in violation will be pulled by Mountain View's overlords.
