The primer is designed to inform both potential and existing users of the importance of reading and understanding the TOS and adjusting their privacy setting as required. The presentation was developed to meet the requirements of Assignment 2 - Policy Primer for Curtin University subject Net 303 (Internet, Politics and Power).

1. Pinterest
and their „Terms of Service‟…

2. “Pinterest - the
explosively
popular imagesharing site”
What is it…
Screen shot: www.pinterest.com
A.Williams
New York Times

3. “With more than
2.5 million active
users, Pinterest
has fast become
a major player”
“Pinterested”?
J. Evans Cario
 Need to store all the treasures you
uncover online?
 Want somewhere to share pictures and
ideas?
 What a great idea…
Sign me up?
Reference: Z. Wilkinson

4. “Many people
will provide the
most intimate
and revealing
details on their
personal profile”.
Signing up…
or signing over?
Qi & Edgar-Nevill
Do you:
 entrust your name,
email & gender?
 allow them to follow
you online?
 agree to their terms &
conditions?
Screen shot: www.pinterest.com

5. Pinterest "is a
marketing
platform"
So I’m agreeing to…..
 By signing up you agree to Pinterest:
 Terms of Service (TOS)
 Privacy Policy
 Acceptable Use Policy
 Responsible Disclosure Statement.
 Now for a closer look at those TOS
Lawrence Lenihan

6. Are they complicated?
 The TOS are:
 written in plain English
 covered in 12 sections…
 have „More simply put‟ translations.
 So what do they mean to you?
“articles are
highlighting
elements of the
Terms of Service as
problems” that may
result in “criminal
charges against
you”
N.Sims

7. “access to personal
identity information
supports the
relationshipformation process”
1. Using Pinterest
 So you need to:
 give accurate personal details
 be over 13
 agree to software upgrades without notice
 get a business account if you are a
business user.
 In return… you get to use Pinterest.
Ellison et al

8. “Responsibility
of privacy
protection often
falls solely on
the individual”
1a. Privacy
 By agreeing to the TOS you also agree to
the Privacy Policy.
 Enabling Pinterest to store your:
 personal details
 pin boards
 location data if selected (mobiles)
 links to social media
 logs of your cookie and device data.
Goettke & Christiana

9. “It’s important
for users to -edit their
privacy
options”
1b. Privacy continued
 Your info is used to:
 tailor what you see (including advertising)
 help „friends‟ find your board.
 You can change your settings to:
 Stop being findable
 create secret boards
 stop Pinterest tracking you online
 unlink from other accounts like Facebook.
Screen shot: www.pinterest.com
Qi & Edgar-Neville

10. 2.Your Content
 The things you post are yours but
Pinterest can show them to everyone.
 Other pinners can collect, change and
pin to your posts.
 Pinterest can keep your posts for as
long as they like.
 If you send Pinterest feedback, they can
reuse your feedback anyway they like.
“Pinterest
unveiled secret
boards - only
visible to people
who are
authorized”
Z.Wilkinson

11. “Copyright holders
have been
ferocious in their
pursuit of people
who reuse their
copyrighted work”
3. Copyright Policy
Aufderheide
 By agreeing to the TOS you also agree to
the Copyright Policy:
 Pinterest can “disable and/or terminate the
accounts of users” caught infringing
copyright.
 Content owners can:
 request removal of pins they think infringe
their copyright
 attach a „no-pin‟ rule to their site to block
pinning attempts.
Reference: www.pinterest.com/copyright

12. 3a. Copyright & Fair Use
“users could be
exposed to
copyright suits
by pinning
content without
a license”
S.Eder
 As “Pinterest makes copies of the images
people pin”, pinning to copyrighted info
is your problem…
 “Fair use certainly sometimes allows for
making copies” as the “copy does link to
the source”.
 “Fair use probably covers some pinning,
and implied or explicit licenses cover
some more”.
 If you pinned “at the behest of the
original creator” then its probably ok, as
they may want their content pinned.
References: N. Sims

13. “It is vital that all
-- users restrict
access to their
profiles”
4. Security
Qi & Edgar-Neville
 The security of your personal info is not
guaranteed.
 You can notify if you think your account
was hacked.
 The risk is yours but Pinterest suggests:
 “Pick a strong password”
 “Watch where you log in”
 “Protect your devices”
 “Know the risks of unsecured Wi-Fi”.
References: www.pinterest.com

14. 5. Third-Party Links, Sites, and
Services
 Pinterest takes no responsibility for
pin links.
 It‟s too bad if you click on a pin and:
 are offended by the content you find
 pick up a virus.
 Your responsible if you pin to someone
else‟s pin, and the content was
copyrighted.
Pinterest…
“is now studying
a potential
advertising
system”
Pui-Wing & Ante

15. 6. Termination
 Pinterest can cancel your access at any
time.
 They don‟t have to give you a reason to
do it.
 Your pinned items can be kept by
Pinterest even if you don‟t have access.
 You can try writing to Pinterest to ask
them to reinstate your account.
“messages that have
been captured and
stored in a publicallyaccessible space
have no privilege
whatsoever”
Walther

16. 7. Indemnity
 You are responsible for all damages
including legal and accounting costs
if…
 you are a business user who didn‟t
sign up for a business license
and…
 Pinterest is sued because of something
you put on the site.
“The site is
becoming more
and more
popular for
business and
educational
use”
Hansen

17. 8. Disclaimers
 If you find something offensive or
illegal, Pinterest probably won‟t take
responsibility.
 They may remove content they determine
is offensive or copyrighted.
 If that was your content, you may not be
able to re-pin it to your board.
“Pinterest will
have "simpler
tools" to report
alleged copyright
or trademark
infringement”.
S. Eder

18. 9. Limitation of Liability
 Pinterest will do their best to make
sure you are liable for any damages
incurred… not them.
 If you pin to copyrighted content and
the owner sues, you are liable.
 If you suffer damage because of a
Pinterest related mistake or failure,
they probably won‟t accept liability.
 If something happens to your personal
account, they probably won‟t pay
damages.
“Pinterest, itself,
is well-protected
from lawsuits
because of its
policies”
S. Eder

19. 10. Arbitration
 If you have a problem, tell Pinterest
first.
 If that doesn‟t work you can try the
American Arbitration Association (no
alternative yet for overseas users).
 You might have to pay for that service.
 Damages for data security, intellectual
property or un-authorised access may be
taken to court.
“Pinterest said it
also plans to
launch
international
sites this year”
Pui-Wing & Ante

20. 11. Governing Law and
Jurisdiction
 Pinterest is governed by the laws of
California in the United States.
 If you want to sue Pinterest, you will
have to do it in California.
 Pinterest does not guarantee use or
support outside the United States.
 Pinterest is looking to offer an
international service in the future…
To “expand their
customer base
outside the U.S.
borders, they will
need to comply with
other nations'
privacy laws“.
J. Mont

21. 12. General Terms
 Pinterest will update the sites TOS as
often as they like.
 If you keep using Pinterest after the
change then you are accepting those
changes.
 You don‟t get to give your Pinterest
account to someone else but Pinterest
can.
 Pinterest is happy to provide your
information to the US government if
asked…
If you are violating
the TOS, they
can... um... cut
you off? Delete
your account?
They can also sue
you…
N. Sims

22. The end?
 The choice to use Pinterest and agree to
it‟s terms and conditions is yours.
 The site offers rich social media
opportunities for individuals and
businesses.
 “It is the fastest growing online social
platform, outstripping even Facebook in
its growth”.
 So sign-up, adjust your settings and get
pinning?
Reference: C. Tekobbe
Pinterest’s member
community
demonstrates rich
digital literacy
practices by creating
elaborate
information-sharing
networks
Tekobbe

23. References
Auferheide, P. (2011). Copyright, Fair Use, and Social Networks. In Z. Papacharissi (Ed.), A Networked
Self: Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites (pp. 276–290). New York and London:
Routledge.
BBC News - Pinterest moves to address copyright fears with opt-out. (2012, February 21). BBC News.
Retrieved October 8 2013 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17111041
Eder, S. (2012). In Shift, Pinterest Says to Pin Your Own Stuff - WSJ.com. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved
October 6 2013 from
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304177104577305832731077746
Ellison, N. Vitak, J. Steinfield, C. Gray, R. Lampe, C. (2011). Negotiating Privacy Concerns and Social
Capital Needs in a Social Media Environment. In L. Trepte, S. Reinecke (Ed.), Privacy Online:
Perspectives on Privacy and Self-Disclosure in the Social Web (p. 280). Berlin: Springer.
Evans Cario, J. (2012). Pinterest Marketing An Hour a Day (p. 336). Somerset, NJ, USA: Wiley.
:
Hansen, K., Nowlan, G., & Winter, C. (2012, December 5). Pinterest as a Tool: Applications in Academic
Libraries and Higher Education. Partnership: the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice
and Research. Retrieved from https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/2011/2631
Mont, J. (2013). Terms-of-Use Agreements Pose Reputational Risks. Compliance Week, 10(110), 40–43.
Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com
Pinterest Privacy Policy. (2013). Pinterest Website. Retrieved October 08, 2013, from
http://about.pinterest.com/privacy/

24. More references…
Pinterest Terms of Service. (2013). Pinterest Website. Retrieved October 5 2013, from
http://about.pinterest.com/terms/
Pinterest Terms of Service that apply to federal agencies using Pinterest Help Center. (2013).
:
Pinterest Website. Retrieved October 5 2013, from https://en.help.pinterest.com/entries/22787291
Pui-Wing, T. Spencer, A. As Pinterest Grows, Startup Seeks $2.5 Billion Valuation - ProQuest. The Wall
Street Journal (2013, 6 February). Retrieved October 8 2013, from http://search.proquest.com
Sims, N. (2012). Pinterest, copyright, and Terms of Service - Copyright Librarian. Copyright Librarian.
Retrieved October 5 2013 from http://blog.lib.umn.edu/copyrightlibn/2012/03/pinterest-copyright-andterms-of-service.html
Tekobbe, C. K. (2013). A SITE FOR FRESH EYES. Information, Communication & Society, 16(3), 381–
396. doi:10.1080/1369118X.2012.756052
Watters, P. Qi, M. Edgar-Nevill, D. (2011). Social networking searching and privacy issues. Information
Security Technical Report, 16(2), 74–78. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1363412711000562
Wilkinson, Z. (2013). Oh, how Pinteresting! An introduction to Pinterest. Library Hi Tech News, 30(1),
1–4. doi:10.1108/07419051311320904
Williams, A. (2012, October 4). Shakespeare vs. Elizabeth Taylor: ProQuest. New York Times.
Retrieved October 4 2013 from http://search.proquest.com