This incubator occurred on 13th may 2024
For the incubator, I asked the question- Who owns your work online? It was meant to highlight the current information gap amongst those that use social media and the privacy policy they have agreed to. For simplicity, I used the example of two well known platforms- YouTube (owned by Alphabet/Google) and Instagram (owned by Meta/Facebook). Comparing the privacy and licensing rights users agree to when signing up and sharing their work on these platforms. Meta/Facebook has been in the press over allegations of unfair practices and non-ethical privacy practices*. Google has largely kept a relatively cleaner image*. However, a comparison of their terms and conditions documents show a different story. Most respondents that I interacted with were surprised by the findings and were not aware on the details of the contract they sign when using these platforms. There was one respondent who was aware due to their research work in the field of data collection. This may suggest that unless a person is specifically looking into the field of data collection and usage, platforms discourage Awareness on the subject. This is designed into the way these contracts are presented*.
Data from both websites was accessed on 9th may 2024.
Process:
Over the course of 1 hour, I used an original illustration to intrigue interested participants to come forward. I started by introducing the subject of digital ownership and licensing. This was followed by a short quiz. The questions were-
Question 1: When you upload a photo or video of your work on Instagram, who owns it?
Out of 9 respondents, 8 replied with Mark Zuckerberg or Instagram.
Answer: Infact, you own the rights of your image or video, however you grant them non exclusive rights to use it.
Question 2: Do you know what licences you provide to online platforms when you use them?
Out of 9 respondent, 9 replied that they have some idea but aren’t a 100% sure.
Answer: Between these two platforms you are granting them rights to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, preform/display and create derivatives of your work. These rights are transferable, sub licensable and royalty free.
Question 3: Out of the two platforms (YouTube and Instagram) which do you think has a longer licence period to use your data?
Out of 9 respondent, 9 replied that it was probably Facebook/Meta/Instagram.
Answer: the truth is that based on their current agreements, meta owns your these rights till you delete your post from their platform. Youtube however continue to retain rights after you delete them, till what they claim is a “commercially reasonable period”. They also maintain server copies of your videos.
Question 4: Did you get a chance to read the terms and conditions for the different platforms you use online?
Out of 9 respondents, 9 replied that they hadn’t read the Terms and conditions as it was too much to read or they didn’t care enough.
Question 5: Will you be reading them now?
Out of 9 respondants, 6 replied that they probably won’t. 3 responded that they are intrigued and will give it a try.
Feedback:
Participants felt engaged and noted that they had learnt new information with this interaction.
Some of the participants felt the intervention simplified a subject that was often information heavy.
The general sentiment was that this was a topic they had come across but not engaged with previously due to its complex nature.
Most participants felt that while the information was interesting, it would probably not alter their actions in the future.