Twitter makes my procrastination look amateurish....

[Ursa major]

I've received, apparently at 21:58 (Hotmail's times are not always that accurate), the following email from Twitter**:

Update to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

As we continue to improve Twitter's products and features, we've also been working on improving our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Our Terms of Service are now easier to read and better organised, which should help users worldwide. Our Privacy Policy has been updated to include a section on the EU-US Privacy Shield program. In addition, we've updated and clarified how various services have changed over time. For example, we've included adding additional information on non-public communications, using multiple accounts, logged out access, and our advertising services. Feel free to learn more about this in the Help Centre.

Please take a moment to read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and keep in mind that by using our services on or after September 30, 2016, you agree to the revisions.
Thanks for using Twitter.
​

(my underlining)

​

I'd like to think that by simply never tweeting again my agreement would not be assumed, but I suspect this is not the case (as Twitter sends me endless emails about what various people have tweeted "in my network" and what is "popular in my network"). And if I'm correct, I have had no opportunity to do anything but agree, given that there can't be a country on Earth where it isn't now October 2016 (i.e. two days after using Twitter was seen as agreement).

But I suppose it's nice of them to mention it at all....


** - I joined solely to help with some or other Twitter-"hosted" event in support of the Chrons. I haven't tweeted for many months (probably not in 2016 at all).

 

[Boneman]

Aha! I'm having the month of October off, from both Twitter and Facebook, that'll fool them...

 

[Dave]

I read that some company did a similar thing* and if you really did read the 50 pages of conditions** buried in there was a stipulation that you now had sold your soul to the devil. Apparently, very few people noticed.***

* sorry but I can't remember any details - all these online companies keep sending out updated terms and conditions and Apple is probably the worst of all.
** maybe not that long but long enough.
*** or had bothered to read it.

 

[Ursa major]

I read that some company did a similar thing* and if you really did read the 50 pages of conditions** buried in there was a stipulation that you now had sold your soul to the devil. Apparently, very few people noticed.***

Yes, someone mentioned that on the radio the other day (and there was an item -- on You and Yours -- on the radio about the same issue a few months back (where "a few months back" might take us back to 2015).

 

[Gonk the Insane]

Er... The Twitter Terms of Service contain just such a thing.

Starts off innocently enough:

Your Rights
You retain your rights to any Content you submit, post or display on or through the Services. What’s yours is yours — you own your Content (and your photos and videos are part of the Content).

That sounds, fine, but then immediately after that there's this:

By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through the Services, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such Content in any and all media or distribution methods (now known or later developed). This license authorizes us to make your Content available to the rest of the world and to let others do the same. You agree that this license includes the right for Twitter to provide, promote, and improve the Services and to make Content submitted to or through the Services available to other companies, organizations or individuals for the syndication, broadcast, distribution, promotion or publication of such Content on other media and services, subject to our terms and conditions for such Content use. Such additional uses by Twitter, or other companies, organizations or individuals, may be made with no compensation paid to you with respect to the Content that you submit, post, transmit or otherwise make available through the Services.

Which seems, to my untutored eye, to directly contradict the first statement.

 

[Ursa major]

Which seems, to my untutored eye, to directly contradict the first statement.

I think it means that they've graciously decided not to give themselves the right to sue you for submitting, posting displaying (or otherwise publishing) your own content elsewhere.

Which is nice of them....

 

[Phyrebrat]

On a similar but different note; can't we now do without the constant 'this site uses cookies' notifications?

It's often a banner that covers what you want to read or stupidly large. I feel like it's time to say 'yup, cookies, we get it!'

pH