Wed Dec 26 13:31:13 EST 2012 Bob W wrote:
> > From: PDML [mailto:pdml-bounces at pdml.net] On Behalf Of Igor Roshchin > > > > $Subj. is filed: > > > > http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/12/24/instagram-privacy-lawsuit- > > facebook-idINDEE8BN08N20121224 > > > > While people can be emotionally charged (as in outraged), this type of > > lawsuit can create a weird precedent: even if you are providing free > > services, you can be taken to court. > > What would be next? A bum will sue somebody donating him money? > > > > if the donation required the bum to sign up to a legal contract first then > yes, why not? A contract's a contract, free or not, and you can't expect to > change it one-sidedly in your favour without some pushback. > > Besides, the services that Instagram, Google and so on provide are not free. > The suppliers use your data for their own purposes, so that's what they get > in return for the services. I spend an inordinate amount of time at work > having to tell people this when they keep asking why they can't download > 'free' shit onto their work computers, or save work documents on 'free' > storage sites. > > B > > > I don't know how it is in other countries, but it feels that in the US, > > a lot of people have a [false] sense of entitlement. > > People so much used to "free" services, that it's hard to imagine what > > would happen if Google would decide to close Gmail. > > > > > > Igor Bob, I am not sure, but I doubt that it is actually a _contract_. Rather, typically, when you are signing up for a free account, you are agreeing to "Terms of use" and "Terms of service"... Whether it is a contract or not, - it does not promise you indefinite service, and it can be terminated at any point. It is an "at will" agreement, that can be terminated by either side at any time. As far as I know (sorry, I didn't investigate that part carefully), - Instagram didn't take anybody's photos hostage (unlike, say, fotki.com earlier this year [*]). So, everybody could take their photos and leave, given the ample notice. I agree with you about "free", that's why I put that word in quotation marks in the second part of my message. ------- [*] http://pdml.net/pipermail/pdml_pdml.net/2012-August/320425.html Igor -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
