Twitter Muddies Terms Of Service
Laying out some of the TOS in a blog post, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said that people's tweets belong to them. On the other hand Stone said that, "Twitter is allowed to 'use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute' your tweets because that's what we do."
So, while "your tweets belong to you, not to Twitter," as Stone said, Twitter can do whatever it wants with them -- with or without permission -- because that's how they roll.
As far as advertising, Stone continued to sound like a noncommittal boyfriend, and said that Twitter may -- or may not -- accept advertising. The company isn't saying no, but it isn't saying yes either. As Stone put it, "We'd like to keep our options open."
Regarding APIs, Stone said that apps built around Twitter's platform are "flourishing and adding value to the ecosystem." Rules governing apps however, are a bit iffy. In the new TOS, Stone said Twitter is "working on API guidelines," and sends readers to a "draft" of rules.
The only thing that Twitter seems absolutely certain of is that spam is bad, and on that it will not bend. Stone said that the company will continue to enforce rules regarding abusive behavior and spam.
Stone invites Tweeters to provide feedback about the new/not really new TOS, and advises that it's important that users understand that "it's not about the technology, it's about how we all use the service that matters most."
Got that?