Hugene - 10:14 pm on Feb 19, 2009 (gmt 0)

I am not sure that Zuckerberg's comparison to email data and Facebook data is actually fair, or even legally correct.

In an email system, as far as I know, we always retain ownership of our emails, but the serving party has a restricted right to read this emails (automatically for ads, or upon request for legal reasons)

But I am definitely sure that if I write an novel and email it, even though gmail, I retain all copyrights and ownership of the novel, even if it a body of the email.

Now, in flickr, I believe you also keep ownership of your uploads, otherwise you wouldn't be able to set the copyright yourself (to control copyright, you need to be the owner)

I also believe that if you close a flickr account, they delete your photos (or at least should otherwise you could argue in front of a judge that it is illegal)

If you remove a gmail account, I wouldn't be surprised in the emails are erased also.

The idea is that:
because you share media you own on a specific platform, that does not mean that you transfer your ownership to the platform on which your media is presented UNLESS

unless it clearly says in the TOS that you give away all right to your material.

I have never read the TOS of Facebook, but if they maintain that you MAINTAIN ownership of your private data, than, if your account is closed, all your data should be deleted.

Unless, that's like saying that if a painter puts up a painting in a gallery, it becomes theirs.

Gimme me a break Zuckerberg.

What a clown

[edited by: Hugene at 10:28 pm (utc) on Feb. 19, 2009]