information on a banking site because its terms state that it holds the
information in the strictest confidence. However, you may be uncom-
fortable with posting information or images on a social networking site
that has terms that state that it owns and can use any content you place
there in any way it likes.Every service you use should state its terms and conditions of use. The
statement should include a clear itemization of the type of information
they collect about you and the rights you grant them if you choose to
use the service. Although we realize that reading the fine print is about
as much fun as watching laundry spin, reading this fine print for any
site where you want to share personal information is important because
there are significant differences in services.Look at these two examples:➟ Read the terms and conditions that the social net-
working site Bebo (www.bebo.com) uses for content
ownership. (See Figure 2-6.) It clearly states that it
has no ownership rights to your material, may not
sell your material, and that you retain full control of
your material.➟ Now look at the terms that another social networking
site, Facebook (www.facebook.com), imposes. (See
Figure 2-7.) It claims full rights to your material, to
sell, reuse, and distribute it. It also claims this right
even if you remove your content because the site can
retain and use archived copies.Figure 2-6
33
Chapter 2: How the Internet Views You