After signing up for pinterest, I checked the Wikipedia article on it at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinterest
and found a few
issues of concern:
1. "Copyright concerns have been raised due to the
fact that
"Pinterest?s business is based almost entirely on using images
without
permission". [15] Pinterest said in February 2012 that it
was
developing an improved method for copyright holders to
report
infringing content on Pinterest. Getty Images said in February
2012
that it was discussing copyright problems with Pinterest [16]"
2.
"In an article on The New York times website it was noted that
Pinterest
modifies users' links to items that they have found, and
adds an affiliate
tracking code without advising the user.[17]"
3. "To register for
Pinterest, new users must receive an invitation
from a friend already
registered on Pinterest or request an invitation
directly from the Pinterest
website. The registration process
currently requires users to link their
Pinterest account to their
Facebook or Twitter account. Users choosing to log
in via Facebook
must currently be using (or opt in to) Facebook's
"timeline"
format.[18][19]"
These may or may not be of particular concern to any of us.
I do not have a twitter account, nor am I on Facebook.
And I know nothing about Facebook or its "timeline" format.
Live and learn.....
I came across this article recently...
ReplyDeleteThe Atlantic Wire
Rebecca Greenfield
With all the talk of Pinterest acting as one giant copyright infringement hub, the up-and-already-arrived social network has given sites a way to opt out of pinning. Though a Wall Street Journal article last week described that copyright infringements "haven't been a significant issue so far," Pinterest has taken the safe route, providing some code for websites that would rather their content not show up on the social network. This adds a technical aspect to the company's theft policy, which encourages citing original sources.
I hadn't even thought about copyright issues. It's good to see that Pinterest is taking steps to protect itself, but websites have to actively "opt out" to prevent content from being used here. If I were the owner of a website I wanted protected, I'd be annoyed to have to go through that step.
ReplyDeleteI think Karst also brought up very valid issues of concern in terms of privacy. For these reasons, I really don't think I'll be requiring my students to sign up for Pinterest, but I can imagine using the links it provides for teaching inspiration.