Facebook's New 'Terms of Use' Will Screw You... Forever

When Facebook released it's new Terms of Use last week, it also released users of any rights to his/her content. In short: whatever you post on Facebook belongs to Facebook forever. If you close your account, your old content still belongs to Facebook and they can do whatever they choose to with it, which includes selling it or republishing it. And you have no say about it!

Here's that part of their ToS that will screw you.

You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.

And they tell you what happens when you terminate your account here:

We may terminate your account on the Facebook Service, delete your profile and any User Content you have Posted on or through the Facebook Service, and/or prohibit you from using or accessing the Facebook Service (or any portion thereof) for any or no reason, at any time in our sole discretion, with or without notice. Further, we reserve the right to change any aspect or feature of the Facebook Service at any time without notice. The following sections will survive any termination of your use of the Facebook Service: Prohibited Conduct, User Content, Your Privacy Practices, Gift Credits, Ownership; Proprietary Rights, Licenses, Submissions, User Disputes; Complaints, Indemnity, General Disclaimers, Limitation on Liability, Termination and Changes to the Facebook Service, Arbitration, Governing Law; Venue and Jurisdiction and Other.

So, all you kids with aspirations to become the next Barack Obama, don't post anything on Facebook you wouldn't want college admissions' directors, future employers or that presidential vetting panel to find out.

You're warned.