Flash: Mark Zuckerberg Keen On User ‘Publicity Rights,’ for Facebook
Mr. Web 2.0 publicity himself, Michael TechCrunch Arrington, warns Mark Zuckerberg of the perils of too much publicity! Please “let sleeping dogs lie,” Arrington exhorts the Facebook founder and CEO, in soliciting him NOT to accept free publicity via a star turn on 60 minutes.
Arrington uses Wikipedia to support his claim that Facebook’s new social ads are “confusing” Facebookers and warns that Zuckerberg is “treading on thin publicity rights ice.”
What does Wikipedia know about “publicity rights”? Who knows, according to Wikipedia itself. The Wikipedia “publicity rights” entry disclaims “this article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia’s quality standards. Please impprove this article if you can.”
Arrington, himself, has underscored how Wikipedia “needs to be fixed,” pointing out “the number of errors” on TechCrunch’s listing, while acknowledging fear of Wikipedians:
There is no way in hell I’d ever think about fixing those errors. The Wikipedia community has completely intimidated me to the point where making a change to that site is unthinkable.
Arrington intimidated? Now, that is news!
Another news flash: The Facebook legal team is well aware of the notion of “publicity rights” and addresses the issue repeatedly in various publicly posted terms and guidelines for use, warning users against infringement while appearing to clear the way for its own non-infringing actions:
When you post user content to the site, you authorize and direct us to make such copies thereof…grant to the company a fully paid worldwide license…for distributing such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof…
I have repeatedly warned against the inherent perils of maintaining Facebook accounts. Google, to boot.
Quibbling over the latest, not so greatest, Facebook and/or Google anti-user moves makes for ongoing fodder, but doesn’t resolve the core Facebook and Google non user friendly stances, as I have been underscoring for the past 18 months. SEE: 2008 Social Media Warning: Beware Google AND Facebook and Facebook: Harvard Dropout Tricks NYT? Zuckerberg is Coca-Cola Scapegoat and MoveOn’s Facebook Crusade: eBay, IAC, CBS, NYTimes Get Beacon Privacy Pass.
PLUS: YES! Facebook IS Scarier Than Google! and
Facebook is ‘Sorry’? Savvy Users Will Forget, NOT Forgive, Mark Zuckerberg and
Beacon Privacy Solution: STOP USING FACEBOOK! and
Dear Facebook, Beacon Tracking STILL Evil: Will Zuckerberg Partners Repent? and
Google Warning: How GOOG 411 Tricks Consumers and
Google Privacy Trap: Consumers Beware and
Google is WRONG On Consumer Privacy and
Google is NOT Your Friend
ALSO: Henry Blodget Braces For ‘Harder Times’: Silicon Alley Insider ‘Screwed’? and Kelsey: You’ll Still Have Yellow Pages To Kick Around Some More