tl;dr: delete Your Instagram account…

A lawyer rewrote Instagram’s terms of use ‘in plain English’ so kids would know their privacy rightsAmy B. Wang

// Abstract //

Instagram’s terms of use in total run at least seven printed pages, with more than 5,000 words, mostly written in legalese.

Jenny Afia, a privacy lawyer and partner at Schillings law firm in London was tasked with rewriting the company’s terms and conditions “in plain English.” The simplified terms of service fit on a single page.

After Afia rewrote it for teenagers to be able to understand, it became, simply:

  • “Don’t use anybody else’s account without their permission or try to find out their login details”
  • “Don’t bully anyone or post anything horrible about people”
  • “Officially you own any original pictures and videos you post, but we are allowed to use them, and we can let others use them as well, anywhere around the world. Other people might pay us to use them and we will not pay you for that.”
  • “Although you are responsible for the information you put on Instagram, we may keep, use and share your personal information with companies connected with Instagram. This information includes your name, email address, school, where you live, pictures, phone number, your likes and dislikes, where you go, who your friends are, how often you use Instagram, and any other personal information we find such as your birthday or who you are chatting with, including in private messages (DMs).”

Simply delete Your Instagram account…