An online policy primer summarising the Terms of Use for Instagram.

1. Internet Politics and Power 503
Assignment 2:Policy Primer
By: Michael Whitford, 13378680

2. (Rivera, 2012)
(Albanesius, 2012)
(Koire, 2013)
(Paine, 2012)

3. What is Instagram?
“It’s a photo-sharing social media app that allows users to take
and upload photos from their smartphone camera, add filters,
captions and location info and then share them with followers”
(Donnelly, 2013)
(Davies, n.d.)
Established in 2010
Acquired by Facebook in 2012
Now has over 100 million users across the world.
Initially created for trendsetters to post pics of organic dairy-free
fair trade coffees. (Donnelly,2013)
Instagram describes itself as “ a fast, beautiful and fun way
to share your life with friends and family”
(Instagram,2013)
(France-Presse, 2012)

4. Key Features
(Pugachevsky, 2013)
• Take/upload photos from
smart phone camera
• Upload 15 second videos
• Add Filters
(Creative, 2012)
• Captions/Hashtags
• Location Information
(Taylor, 2012)
(Hurley Hall, n.d.)

5. Covering the Basics
•
You must be 13 or older to create an Instagram account
•
Follow the community guidelines
The Short
1. Post your own photos and videos.
2. Keep your clothes on.
3. Be respectful.
4. Don’t spam.
5. HAVE FUN!
(Instagram, 2013)
• The account is for YOU
“You also represent that all information you provide or provided to Instagram upon
registration and at all other times will be true, accurate, current and complete and you agree to
update your information as necessary to maintain its truth and accuracy” (Instagram, 2013)
• NO HACKING!
“You agree that you will not solicit, collect or use the login credentials of other Instagram users”.
•
Protect your account password.

6. Ownership
•
“Instagram does not claim ownership of any Content that you post on or through the
Service” (Instagram, 2013). This means that YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for any content you post
NOT INSTAGRAM.
•
In accepting the Instagram Terms of Use you acknowledge that any content posted is your
own.
•
If you accept the Instagram Terms of Use you grant Instagram license to use your content
and share your information.
•
“Instagram does not claim ownership of any Content that you post on or through the
Service. Instead, you hereby grant to Instagram a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free,
transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to use the Content that you post on or
through the Service…”(Instagram, 2013)

7. Copyright
•
“ YOU represent and warrant that: (i) YOU OWN THE CONTENT POSTED BY YOU on or through the Service
or otherwise have the right to grant the rights and licenses set forth in these Terms of Use; (ii) the posting
and use of your Content on or through the Service does not violate, misappropriate or infringe on the
rights of any third party, including, without limitation, privacy rights, publicity rights, copyrights,
trademark and/or other intellectual property rights” (Instagram, 2013).
•
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for your content therefore if Instagram shares your content with other
organizations, Instagram is not liable for copyright.
•
“None of your Content will be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Instagram, and
Instagram will not be liable for any use or disclosure of any Content you provide”(Instagram, 2013).
•
If your account is found to be in breach of copyright Instagram may disable your account without warning.
•
“You understand and agree that Instagram cannot and will not be responsible for the Content posted on
the Service and you use the Service at your own risk” (Instagram, 2013).

8. Censorship
•
“You may not post violent, nude, partially nude, discriminatory, unlawful, infringing, hateful,
pornographic or sexually suggestive photos or other content via the Service” (Instagram, 2013).
•
The use of inappropriate hashtags in your post is considered equally forbidden.
•
Any content that falls into the above categories will be removed and may lead to Instagram deleting a
users account without warning.
•
Well known Spanish photographer Pablo Almansa had his account deleted without warning because of
inappropriate use.
http://instagramers.com/destacados/mama-instagram-removed-my-account/

9. Privacy
•
Your account is public by default
•
Until you change your setting to private any other user can view your photos and subscribe to your posts.
•
Location Services disclose where you are.
•
Once you accept the Instagram Terms of Use you allow them to gather, share and store your information.
•
Your content and account details are stored even if your account is terminated or you delete it.
•
“Following termination or deactivation of your account, Instagram, its Affiliates, or its Service Providers
may retain information (including your profile information) and User Content for a commercially
reasonable time for backup, archival, and/or audit purposes” (Instagram,2013).
•
In 2012 Instagram updated its Terms of Use causing backlash from users.
“Instagram said that by posting photos to its service, "you agree that a business or other entity may pay us
to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in
connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to
you”(Albanesius, 2012).

10. Surveillance
•
Instagram monitors not only your content but posts and hashtags
•
“We may, but have no obligation to, remove, edit, block, and/or monitor Content or
accounts containing Content that we determine in our sole discretion violates these Terms
of Use” (Instagram, 2013)
•
Instagram may also monitor the interaction between you and other users to uphold their
community guidelines.
•
“Instagram reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor or become involved in
disputes between you and other users” (Instagram, 2013).
(Komal, 2011)

11. Termination
Accepting Instagram Terms of Use gives them the right to terminate your
account at their sole discretion.
Actions that may lead to your account being blocked or
terminated.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Posting offensive material e.g violent, nude, discriminatory
Creating an account using a false identity or for another person.
If you bully, stalk, defame etc another user.
Using your account for illegal purposes e.g copyright
Submitting unwanted emails (Spam) to other users.
If you do not comply with the community guidelines
Creating an an automated account.
(King, 2009)

12. Relevant Unit Readings
Topic 1.2b: A Right to Privacy?
Everyday Surveillance – David Lyon
“Much everyday convenience, efficiency and security depends on surveillance” (Lyon, 2002, p.243 )
• Monitoring allows Instagram to filter offensive material to prevent cyber-bullying, sexual harassment,
stalking etc.
Topic 1.1b: Moral Censorship vs Freedom of Speech
To catch a predator? The Myspace moral panic – Alice Marwick
• Filtering for the greater good of society (Marwick, 2002)
• People as young as 13 can create Instagram accounts. Filtering offensive content provides protection
to younger users.
Topic 1.2a: Privacy and Terms of Use
Privacy and Online Social Networking Websites - Richard Goettke & Joseph Christiana
It is not the duty of social networking sites to ensure privacy (Goettke, & Christiana, 2007)
• Instagram take steps to provide security for content, however it is the responsibility of the user to post
appropriate material.

13. Socio-political Implications
Privacy for Underage Users
•
•
No parental consent is needed for people aged 13 years and older.
The location services feature discloses geographic location. Protection to underage users is brought in to
question.
• Privacy and geo-location settings are optional but may be activated unintentionally (Kotenko, 2013)
“The result is that the public can view the exact location where a child’s photos were taken, usually clustering at the
child’s home, school, and primary after-school location” (Kotenko,2013).
Parents and privacy advocates say Instagram is unsafe for underage users – Jam Kotenko
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/keep-our-underage-children-safe-instagram-concerned-parents/
Over-blocking Content
•
•
•
Instagram is used by professional photographers and provides exposure to their work.
Over-blocking content may deprive them of freedom of expression.
For example: Spanish photographer Pablo Almansa had his account deleted for posting nude and semi-nude
content.
• More transparency on what is considered inappropriate content may be a solution.
Mama, Instagram removed my account
http://instagramers.com/destacados/mama-instagram-removed-my-account/

14. Referencing
Albanesius, C. (2012, March 11). [Image]. Retrieved from
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401426,00.asp
Albanesius, C. (2012, December 21). Instagram Reverses Course on Policy Changes | News & Opinion | PCMag.com [Web log post].
Retrieved from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2413478,00.asp
Creative, J. (2012, February 1). [Image]. Retrieved from
http://www.jaskgroup.co.uk/blog/why-instagram-is-so-popular/
Davies, L. [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.raindance.org/smartphones-the-future-of-filmmaking/
Donnelly, T. (2013, August 14). What is Instagram? [Web log post]. Retrieved from www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones/Guides/what-isinstagram
France-Presse, A. (2012, December 6). [Image]. Retrieved from
http://technology.inquirer.net/20975/app-clash-instagram-shuts-off-twitter-feature
Goettke, R., & Christiana, J. (2007, May 14). Privacy and Online Social Networking Websites.
Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/cs199r/fp/RichJoe.pdf
Hurley Hall, S. (n.d.). How to Use Location Services [Image]. Retrieved from
http://unbounce.com/social-media/instagram-for-business/
Instagram. (2013). Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://instagram.com
King, G. (2009, October 27). Image. Retrieved from
http://loyalkng.com/2009/10/27/robomayhem-introduces-amazing-terminator-2-rap-arnold-would-be-proud/
Koire, D. (2013, July 20). [Image]. Retrieved from
http://dkoire.wordpress.com/2013/07/20/instagram/

15. Referencing
Komal, S. (2011, March 24). [Image]Retrieved from
http://http://sadiakomal.com/website-header-styles-ideas
Kotenko, J. (2013, May 16). Privacy advocates say Instagram is unsafe for underage users | Digital Trends [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/keep-our-underage-children-safe-instagram-concerned-parents/
Lyon, D. (2002). Everyday Surveillance: Personal data and social classifications. Information, Communication & Society, 5(2), 242-257. Retrieved
from http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/cyberspace/lyon_ics.pdf
Marwick, A. (2008). To catch a predator? The Myspace moral panic. first monday: peer-reviewed journal on the internet, 13(6). Retrieved from
http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2152/1966
Paine, C. (2012, December 20). [Image]. Retrieved from
http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/instagram/
Pugachevsky, J. (2013, June 30). [Image]Retrieved from
http://tribecafilm.com/blogs/vine-instagram-facebook-film-digital-artists
Rivera, E. (2012, July 31). [Image]. Retrieved from
http://visianinfo.com/visian-icl-instagram-eyeseeinhd-contest/
Taylor, D. (2012, October 5). [Image]. Retrieved from
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_to_use_tilt-shift_photo_filter_instagram_iphone/
Terms of Use. Instagram. (2013, January 19). Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://instagram.com/about/legal/terms/
doi:10.1080/13691180210130806
[Image]. (2012, April 18). Retrieved from http://www.thekeypieces.co.uk/2012/04/instagram.html