Lecture 4 - Privacy and Flickr

In an effort to delve deeper into the issue of privacy and social media, the Terms of Service (TOS) and Privacy Policy of Flickr have been closely examined. An interesting point to note is that Flickr shares the TOS and Privacy Policy of Yahoo!7. This does not come as a surprise as Flickr was purchased by Yahoo!7 in March 2005 (Wang, 2007), but I thought it noteworthy to mention that Flickr does not have its own specific TOS and Privacy Policy. My attention was also drawn to the frank statement that '...all information is the sole responsibility of the person from whom such Content originated' (Yahoo!7, 2011a). In short, this statement absolves Yahoo!7 of any responsibility or duties regardless of what becomes of such content. Yahoo!7 provides a blanket description of the available services, listing 'various communication tools' and 'personalised content' in a long-winded paragraph that neglects to identify specific features pertaining to Flickr, such as image uploading.

Quite the opposite is experienced when reading through the terms of Member Conduct. Blatent and concise dot points display the array of conditions under which members are required to abide, leaving no room for misunderstanding. Upon contemplation I would suggest that the TOS (unsurprisingly) allows for more freedom of interpretation concerning the interests of the service provider, rather than its members.

Another aspect of concern is the admission in the Privacy Policy that 'Yahoo!7 allows other companies that are presenting advertisements on some of our pages to set and access their cookies on your computer. The way other companies use their cookies is subject to their own privacy policies...' (Yahoo!7, 2011b). This statement again waives responsibility on behalf of Yahoo!7 and subsequently increases the difficulty for members to keep track of how their content is being accessed. The ambiguity and presence of concerning privacy admissions of aspects of the TOS and Privacy Policy indicates the importance of thoroughly reading policy terms and conditions. I must admit, I am the first to skim TOS and Privacy Policies, often preferring to put faith in the service providers rather than spending ten minutes deciphering conditions and terminology. Perhaps, in the wake of my eyes being opened to the substantial lack of privacy associated with the internet, it would be a wise decision to take the time to understand how my privacy can be invaded when joining any social media or internet site in the future.

Wang, P. (2007) Community model - Flickr case study [Electronic version]. Teaching Support Materials for E-Business (TAFE), 16-18. 

Yahoo!7. (2011a). Yahoo!7 Terms of Service. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://au.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Yahoo!7 Privacy. (2011b). Yahoo!7 Privacy Policy. Retrieved January 20, 2011, from http://info.yahoo.com/privacy/au/yahoo/