Tag Archives: Facebook’s new Terms of service

Facebook’s New Data Use Policy Wants To Use Your Name & Photo In Advertising

Facebook have just announced proposals for new changes to their terms of service. Facebook have allowed objections and comments from their users for 7 days until they decide if they go ahead with this. You can make your comments under the announcement here along with the hundreds of others so far. As I’m not a lawyer…and you might need one to work out what they are saying, I’ll just focus on one part of the changes that you as users and parent’s might be concerned about.

You or Your Child’s Name & Face Used In Advertising

Facebook users right now can via privacy settings (see pic below) disable the option for Facebook to be able to use your profile picture, and name in some of their advertising within Facebook. They are now proposing to change this privacy setting, by agreeing to the new Terms Of Service they are proposing you will be allowing the use of your name and profile picture in their advertising.

Facebooks Ads Privacy settings
Facebook’s existing Ads Privacy settings

The new changes to Facebook’s Terms Of Service now seem to say that they can now use all your content in advertising no matter if you are under 18yrs or not. However, here’s an important point, if you set your content and personal information to a specific audience, either to Friends or Only Me, or Friends except acquaintances you can control for the most part who will see your endorsements.

Privacy Settings Are More Important Then Ever Now!

If you haven’t set your profile to private meaning set all your info to “only me” they could for instance advertise that, e.g Leonie Smith 45yrs (lying..heh) from Digital Breezes in Sydney says…she loves to use RSVP.com…um ok I’m married…whoops! Yeh so it’s a really good idea to set your profile to private, and most people haven’t really done that, they might think they have…but if you watch my Step-By-Step video below you will be able to test if your’s really is.

You may not care that you and your child’s data photo name is used to promote other pages and services on Facebook. As in….”your son 15years old” likes MacDonald’s. But if you do care about having your personal information, your profile picture and your name used within Facebook for advertising the proposals now state you cannot disallow it as you could previously in your privacy settings. This might all not be a problem until you or your family are matched with a product or service that embarrasses you…how about having your name or face associated with a dating app like Zoosk when you are married? hmmm yes apparently it might happen. People have been complaining on Facebook for years that they are having their image and name associated with pages and services they have NEVER liked.

By the way, note the sentence (see pic below) that reads, if you are under 18yrs of age you agree that your parents have given permission for your image to be used in advertising as well. So if your child wants to use Facebook thats part of the deal also, no opt out. There’s a storm going on in the comments under the announcement with lots of people complaining and cursing and also posting disclaimers stating they don’t want their image used and haven’t given permision. But basically if you agree to the new terms of service in 7 days, no disclaimer would protect you in a court of law.

My advice is that you continue to make sure your privacy settings are as secure as possible and set all your profile information to private. You can’t hide your profile picture your name or your cover pic, but you can set everything else that can be used in advertising to private. Anything you post publicly including your personal information under this new proposal can be used publicly in advertising, both on and off Facebook.

My Video’s to set up the most secure privacy settings are Below:

What do you think? Do you care that we may now be used in Facebook’s advertising where before we had the ability to opt out?

Page 6 Facebook's New Statement of Rights and Responsibilities
Page 6 Facebook’s New Statement of Rights and Responsibilities

Advanced Privacy Settings For Facebook


Hide Your Private Information On Facebook