POLICY PRIMER

SlideShare: Terms of Service

A visual guide by Simon Mainwaring.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License

How many times have you mindlessly checked and accepted

a websites Terms of Service (TOS) agreement when signing up? ?

Ever wondered how that, affects you?

A sites TOS is a legal agreement between you and them, it covers off a number of eventualities for both parties.

(Computer User, 2009)

It not only covers registered members, but those who are just visiting as well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/itspaulkelly/41656936/ CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

…you are playing by their rules.

So, by simply navigating to a website…

Lets look at Slideshare's TOS to get a better picture. www.slideshare.net/terms

YOU are solely responsible

for the material that YOU

publish to SlideShare.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajc1/ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

That means SlideShare will accept NO responsibility for any consequences from publishing your content.

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Even if it’s a malicious virus. (Perez, 2009)

Amongst other things, material submitted to SlideShare should not be…

“…unlawful, obscene, defamatory, libelous, threatening, pornographic, harassing, hateful, racially or ethnically offensive, or encourages conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, violate any law, or is otherwise inappropriate.”

(SlideShare, 2009)

You should also be the rights holder or have permission to use the material you submit to SlideShare.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeblogs/ CC BY 2.0

If you are accused of not being the rights holder, SlideShare can remove your content and delete your account…without notice.

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You do retain the rights to your own content.

“…a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the Submissions in connection with the Site and SlideShare's (and its successor's) business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Site (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels (except to the extent limited by, and expressly stated in the applicable additional terms and conditions for, Premium Services offered by SlideShare).”

(SlideShare, 2009)

But by uploading your content to SlideShare you grant them…

That means SlideShare can use your content any way they please in relation to their business...without paying you a cent.

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The material you post to SlideShare can't be overtly commercial or consist of advertising...

...but it is OK for SlideShare to run ads next to your content.

Unfortunately you don't get a cut of the cash.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jtyerse/3954240271/ CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

S T I L L W A N T Y O U R O W N LOGIN?

Then you must provide accurate and complete information:

Name, email, address, age, phone number, photo...

While you can update or remove your personal information from your SlideShare account...

…SlideShare can delete your account if you remove it all.

SlideShare also AUTOMATICALLY records Log Data:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/articnomad/ CC BY-SA 2.0

IP Address, browser type, OS, previous web pages, times, dates, internal pages…

What do they do with all this data?

Generally its all used to help provide you the user with the service.

It may be stored on your computer in a Cookie, as logins or passwords.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fredfred/ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

It may be shared as aggregate (non identifiable) information with third parties for:

•  Industry analysis

•  Demographic profiling

•  Delivering targeted advertising

•  Database management

•  Web analytics

•  Services maintenance

Your information is their asset?

“SlideShare may sell, transfer or otherwise share some or all of its assets, including your Personal Information, in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets or in the event of bankruptcy.”

(SlideShare, 2009)

After all of this.

WITHOUT NOTIFICATION

SlideShare can terminate the service

You could loose all your content.

They can also update the TOS without even advising you:

have to YOU

check the website for any changes.

If you don't like the changes, the only recourse you have is to…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/windysydney/ CC BY-NC 2.0

…using the site and services.

Hopefully now you have

a better understanding of what you are agreeing to.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonson/ CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

After all, it is YOUR information.

References

AJC1. (2008). Uncle Sam. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajc1/2799103829/.

fred fred. (2007). From my Kitchen: Pistachio, apricot, oatmeal cookies. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/fredfred/1127924629/.

itspaulkelly. (2005). Members Only. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/itspaulkelly/41656936/.

Jones, D. (2009). SlideShare Slip Leaves Barrick Exposed. IR Web Report. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://www.irwebreport.com/daily/2009/07/22/slideshare-slip-leaves-barrick-exposed/.

JoshuaDavisPhotography. COM. (2005). Computer Data Output. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/articnomad/16153058/.

MikeBlogs. (2008). Copyright Symbols. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeblogs/3020966500/.

Perez, S. (2009). SlideShare Used to Spread Malware. Read Write Web. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/slideshare_used_to_spread_malware.php. Privacy Policy. (2009). SlideShare. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from

http://www.slideshare.net/privacyhttp://www.slideshare.net/privacy. Sonson. (2006). They Never Understand Me. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonson/328396763/. Privacy Policy. (2009). SlideShare. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://www.slideshare.net/privacy. Terms of Services. (2009). SlideShare. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://www.slideshare.net/terms. Terms Of Service. (2009). Computer User. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from

http://www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/definition.html?lookup=7542. windy sydney. (2009). Stop. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from

http://www.flickr.com/photos/windysydney/3367641925/.