Does Facebook own us?

It sure feels that way with the revelation that Facebook recently made changes in its terms of service, which some argue allow the popular social networking site to use the content that you post on Facebook forever, even if you have deleted your account.

What? That is scary. Do you really want Facebook having that much control over what is essentially your online life?

Seriously, would you mind Facebook using your photo, say, to promote the social networking site in an advertising campaign without securing your permission?

I wouldn’t. But, according to Facebook’s terms of service, that doesn’t appear to be out of the realm of possibility.

Mark Zuckerberg, the guy who runs Facebook, claims there is no reason to worry, taking to his blog to assure Facebook users “that people own their information.” But, uh, he hasn’t changed the new language in Facebook’s terms of service, The New York Times points out.

I’m glad that there are other people out there reading the fine print, by the way, because I have to admit that I never read the Facebook terms of service agreement that I had to agree to in order to join the social networking site.

How about you? Did you read it?

And do you trust Facebook not to exploit your personal content?

I don’t. That said, I’m not ready to close my Facebook account over this issue like Sasha Frere-Jones, the music critic for The New Yorker, and others have done. But I definitely plan to limit what I say and do on Facebook or any other social networking site for that matter.

(Images courtesy of Getty)