Pinterest's new terms: Content sales, self-harm & self-promotion

Pinterest has updated its terms, removing its right to sell users' content and no longer allowing pins that encourage self-harm.

The two-year-old social network, whose goal is to enable users to share their interests and tastes, is set to put the new Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policy, and Privacy Policy into practice on April 6, it announced.

"Our original Terms stated that by posting content to Pinterest you grant Pinterest the right for us to sell your content. Selling content was never our intention and we removed this from our updated Terms," stated the announcement, posted in Pinterest's blog. "We updated our Acceptable Use Policy and we will not allow pins that explicitly encourage self-harm or self-abuse."

However, not everyone believes the ban on self-harm-related content will work. TIME reporter Megan Gibson explained: “Sure, you can attempt to ban the women and girls who collect these images into one disturbing collage, but a ban on the individual components is impossible because they’re so insurmountably ubiquitous.”

Pinterest has also revised its Pin Etiquette. Originally, Pinterest asked its users to “avoid self promotion” because “Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you're proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion.”

Nevertheless, Pinterest's changes to its policy now sends the message that “Self-promotion isn't shameful after all,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Pinterest etiquette revealed a double standard that really confused users. “It caused a conflict,” Michael Cohen, an intellectual-property lawyer from Beverly Hills, told the WSJ. “Now they are trying to alleviate that.”

Other changes include the release of simpler tools to report believed copyright or trademark infringements, and language that will lead to the release of new features, such as Pinterest API and Private Pinboards.

Surprisingly, there is one thing Pinterest forget to deal with: pornography content, The Daily Dot reported.

Pinterest works like a virtual pinboard, allowing users to "pin" whatever they like from websites in order to create their dream boards. Examples of boards include home decorating, fashion, fitness, planning a party or wedding, or simply just to share beautiful things.

Pinterest has more than 17 million users around the world as of last month, and 90 percent of its U.S. users are female, CBSNews reported. Due to its tremendous performance, Forbes India also noted that it has been called a “ Facebook killer.”

Image: Mashable