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MySpace sells users’ data to make a few quid from a dying website’s death throes
March 17th, 2010
photo credit: Sam Cockman
So, ReadWriteWeb have written a story about MySpace selling users’ personal data for paltry amounts of cash. Now we know that MySpace is a dying site that hasn’t been able to keep the momentum of Facebook or even twitter. But I must admit that even I didn’t realise just how pathetic Murdoch’s NewsCorp were and what they would be prepared to give up just to squeeze the last few pennies out of this weary old lady of a website.
It’s currently trying to make a few quid out of its death throes by selling users’ information such as status and mood updates, photos, blog posts and even names & zipcodes (I’m not sure if that includes postcodes). I’m not a particularly private person, I gladly share my real name regularly (it’s so distinctive that I’m pretty easy to track down anyway) and I know that any semblance of privacy on the web is just that – a semblance only – but I don’t like knowing that my personal information is going to be shared with all and sundry as a commodity by an organisation that wasn’t in that business when I signed up for it.
Just to get this straight – I’m not bothered about the privacy aspect (I’m near enough an open book as it is) but I am bothered about being treated as a piece of meat to be branded and sold. So I’ve gone through my MySpace profile and “updated” it. I don’t intend to get rid of it (there are a few websites where someone else already has my username… twats!) but will keep it as a place holder. I have however deleted my blog (there wasn’t much on there anyway) and the couple of photos I had too. I’ve also added a new profile picture which you’re free to use yourself if you feel like it: 
And if you’re interested in the text, it’s clause 6.1 of their terms and conditions of use!
6.1 MySpace does not claim any ownership rights in the text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, applications, or any other materials (collectively, “Content”) that you transmit, submit, display or publish (“post”) on, through or in connection with the MySpace Services. After posting your Content on, through or in connection with the MySpace Services, you continue to retain any such rights that you may have in your Content, subject to the limited license herein. By posting any Content on, through or in connection with the MySpace Services, you hereby grant to MySpace a limited license to use, modify, delete from, add to, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce, and distribute such Content solely on, through or in connection with the MySpace Services, including, without limitation, through the MySpace Services to applications, widgets, websites or mobile, desktop or other services which are linked with your MySpace account (collectively, “Linked Services”), including, without limitation, distributing part or all of the MySpace Services and any Content included therein, in any media formats and through any media channels, except that Content marked “private” will not be distributed by MySpace outside the MySpace Services and Linked Services. This limited license does not grant MySpace the right to sell or otherwise distribute your Content outside of the MySpace Services or Linked Services. After you remove your Content from the MySpace Services we will cease distribution as soon as practicable, and at such time when distribution ceases, the license will terminate. If after we have distributed your Content outside of the MySpace Services, you change the Content’s privacy setting to “private,” we will cease distribution of such “private” Content outside of the MySpace Services as soon as practicable after you make the change. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you understand and agree that once Content is distributed to a Linked Service or incorporated into other aspects of the MySpace Services, MySpace is under no obligation to delete or ask other Users or a Linked Service to delete that Content, and therefore it may continue to appear and be used indefinitely.
So, it’s up to you what you want to do, but I know what I’m doing. I hardly ever use it anyway, and this just reminded me that I’d left a little bit of myself behind from 2006.
