Based on an overwhelming amount of negative feedback from the community, Facebook returned to its previous Terms of Use yesterday. The new Terms of Use, that have been revoked, gave Facebook perpetual licensing rights to all content on the site, even after a user closed an account. This means any information users put on their profile, from uploaded photos to interests, etc. could be sold by Facebook. As soon as the new terms were released, Facebook users joined groups and discussions, putting enough pressure on the company that it is revisiting the policy.

According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook would not share users’ information with anyone they wouldn’t want. For Facebook, it wasn’t an issue about selling information, but creating a policy that allows Facebook to share information with other users. Zuckerberg said, “There is no system today that enables me to share my email address with you and then simultaneously lets me control who you share it with and also lets you control what services you share it with.”

Social networking has grown so much over the past few years: over 62 million adults in the US now use a social network, and as sites like Facebook gain even more popularity, debates over licensing rights will surely continue. You can learn more about this social networking issue and the revised Facebook Terms of Use by clicking here.