4. Saying I Dont AllowFacebook To Have Any Of My Details Has Any Legal Relevance
There was this Facebook trend a few months ago where seemingly everyone on my news feed was posting about how they did not want Facebook to take their personal details and store them, before potentially selling them to third parties. Thousands, if not millions, of people engaged in this trend, outlining calmly and firmly to that evil Facebook that they were not entitled to their data, and that they would be taking their personal information back to the land of privacy, thank you very much. They thought that this would then mean that they would be safe from Facebook hoarding pictures of their cat in an adorable outfit, and what they got up to last weekend. But they were wrong. When you signed up to Facebook, you ticked a little box called terms and conditions. You did not read it, hell, theres that box on every internet thing you sign up for, and who has the energy or time to read through so many pages of information? I mean, all its asking of you is that you dont break any laws on there, right? Well, no, not really. Within those terms and conditions was a clause stating that Facebook has the right to do anything they want with the information you put on your profile. You ticked the box, therefore you accepted the terms. Whats that I hear? But you didnt read it, and so therefore it doesnt apply? Wrong again my Facebook friend. Theres an annoying little case called
Lestrange v Gracoub, that essentially outlines that ignorance is not a defence. In short, youre bound. And nothing your copied and pasted protest after you internet signed the terms and conditions will make a blind bit of difference. Accept it - youre doomed to have that status about how hung-over you are after waking up in a bath, not even in your own house, recorded forever...