Dear Instagram –

I wanted to write and thank you for your service. I also wanted to let you know that within the coming week or two I will be downloading my photos and deleting my account – unless you rethink the changes you’ve outlined in your Terms of Service that will take effect January 16.

I realize you’re offering me a free service and I should be grateful. And I am (or was). I’ve really grown to love Instagram. I enjoy experimenting with your filters and trying fun effects on my photos. I also appreciate the ease of being able to take an image, manipulate it and then with one click send it to all of my other social networks (Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr). Additionally I enjoy being able to quickly scan through all of my friends’ photos and interact with them without having to deal with the additional posts that have junked up my Facebook Newsfeed.

The thing is though, I’m not so in love with your service that I’m willing to give you rights to sell the images I take without my permission. No, I’m not a professional photographer. In fact, most of my photos probably make real photographers cringe. I don’t shoot the images for the love of the composition or the artistic nature, but because I love the personal subject matter in my photos. Look through my Instagram profile, and you’ll see that most of my pics include my family, my son and my life in general. My photo subjects are precious to me and are not for sale.

Instagram – I really hope you will reconsider the changes you’ve proposed for your Terms of Service. Otherwise I’ll find another way to share my photos, even if it means paying a small subscription for the service.

Regards,
Alissa Menke