Online Privacy - My Rant. #Instagram

Okay, so I totally freaked out over Instagram's new privacy policies that were announced this week. Aaaaaand I totally pulled the plug on my account in reaction to it last night. I have experienced minor twinges of regret since then, but overall, I feel good in sticking it to the man.

"The man", of course, being the almighty Facebook, which has recently acquired Instagram, and has passed on some of it's own questionable privacy policies to the photo sharing site. 

Facebook has really made me mistrust the system. The social media site is heartily ingrained in my psyche, and has been since the minute I joined it in 2007. However, it's just getting to be all a little too much, even for me. It's become this invaluable tool, and we believe we are the masters of our own domain, but that's such a joke. 

When I post content, I want to know that the photos I post are mine, and mine alone. I don't want them used for promotional purposes, or being sold without my knowledge. I'm not sitting here thinking I am the most amazing photographer in the world, but one day, if I want to do something with my images, I don't want to have to fight for the rights to them. I'd also like to be able to pick and choose how they are used. Both Instagram and Facebook have taken away these rights, to a certain extent. 

Also, by using these apps on our phones, we are basically allowing the people behind them into our private lives, sharing our contacts, and personal details. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, and I'm certainly not doing anything illegal, but enough is enough. We're being watched. 

With every keystroke I write, with every picture I take, or movie I view online...this is information that is being logged somewhere. I'm not even entirely convinced that my laptop's camera is not watching me, recording my every sweet aerobic dance move. Do you have Kinnect for Xbox? Because I am pretty sure I heard somewhere that it's spying on you. In fact, in their terms of service it explicitly states that "You should not expect any level of privacy concerning your use of the live communication features" 

Um, since when is that okay? Since you agreed to it without even reading it. 

We blindly accept, without even reading, all of the terms of service agreements on all these newfangled devices. At least I know I do. Blah, blah, blah, boring legal stuff, let me at the goods.

Is this the price we pay for using social media or gaming? Do we allow ourselves to forgo our privacy for the sake of some grainy photo filters and the adoration of strangers? I'm no longer convinced. I am, by nature, an open person, who clearly likes to share. But I want to share on MY terms, not on someone else's terms. Especially not on the terms of a billion dollar company run by a creepy dude in a hoodie.

I liked Instagram. I was starting to enjoy the social media aspect of it. But we have to start being responsible for the type of information we put out there, without fully knowing where that information is going or how it's being used.  I mean, if I take a picture of my dinner or my feet I want to know my rights to those pictures are not being questioned or used to promote dinner or feet.

If you use Facebook, you've already given them permission to pretty much do as they like with your information. Ever notice those ads that seem eerily tailored to you? Yep. That's creepy. I don't know how they knew I was searching for baby mops, but they did. And that's not cool.

I think we've gotten too complacent and trusting that what we put on our profile pages is ours, or will remain private. It's the internet. It's not ours, and it's not private, even if you think it is.  We have become the product that is being sold.

So, for my part, I'm going to start pulling back a little. Easing up, if you will, on the social media tools. I'm going to take it back to the "basics" - this blog, or maybe even a new blog for photos. I'm not ditching Facebook just yet - as I said, it's still ingrained in our society, and I'm still convinced it's a pretty awesome tool for keeping in touch. However, I'm on the hunt for a photo sharing site (such as Flickr), where I can post my pictures without fear of them being used without my knowledge.

Of course if they ASKED me, that would be an entirely different story. I'd love to share my artsy dinner and feet in leaves photos with the world, but I want to be able to choose which ones and when.
We have to start being smarter with what we're putting out there into the wide old interwebs. We have to go back to being a mysterious entity. That's my goal for 2013. Be mysterious (which is approximately the opposite of what I am).

Can we take a step back now that we've come this far? I don't know that I can. I'm so used to being open, that I have basically just accepted that my online privacy is an illusion and I've so far been okay with that, but no more. Why are we allowing these large faceless companies so much access into our personal lives? For what end?

What do WE get out of it compared to what THEY get out of us? I'm not okay with being the product anymore and it has to start somewhere. And that somewhere, for me, is deleting my Instagram account. Step 1.

xh