When iFet.com popped up, I noticed people flocking to it. It seemed like it might be a step up from other similar sites because, for one, they have a more attractive interface. However, being the cautious, not-so-easily-lead, and nonconformist type, I held back. So many people seem so quick to get listed on any new site without asking questions like:
- Who runs this site?
- Are they trustworthy?
- Do they have good business practices?
- What are they doing with the information I submit?
- Is the information secure?
- Could this be a scam?
- Could My reputation be affected by listing Myself here?
Well, I read iFet.com’s Terms and Conditions and was very displeased to see that anything you transmit through their site — word, images, ideas — essentially becomes theirs to use in whatever way they see fit.
Here it is, taken directly from their site:
Personal Communications and License to Your Content – Right to Block or Remove Content
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You acknowledge and agree that your communications with other Users or Members via emails, chats, conferences, bulletin boards, blogs, posts and any other publicly accessible avenues of communication through the Services are public and not private communications. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to use caution before disclosing any personal information about yourself in your public communications. We are not responsible for information that you choose to communicate to other users or members, or for the actions of other users or members, and you agree to indemnify us and hold us harmless from any losses, liabilities, damages or expenses you may incur due to such communications or actions. Except as provided in our Privacy Policy, once you post, send or otherwise make publicly available any Content through the Services (‘Personal Content’), you expressly grant us, and hereby represent that you have the right to grant us, a perpetual, irrevocable, world-wide, assignable, sub-licensable, and transferable right and license to quote, re-post, use, copy, reproduce, modify, create derivative works of, incorporate into other works, distribute, transmit, broadcast, communicate, publicly display, publicly perform and otherwise exploit such Content in any form or media, anywhere, and without any notice or compensation to you of any kind. You hereby grant us all consents, rights and clearances to enable us to use such Personal Content for such purposes. Personal Content may be searchable by, and you may be able to view and search Personal Content on, different websites (i.e., different URLs in the form of ‘co-brands’ or ‘private labels’) operated by us or our affiliated entities. Personal Content may also be searchable by third-party search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. [http://www.ifet.com/terms-of-service]
Yes, that’s right: When you use their site — including EMAILS and CHATS — it’s all considered PUBLIC information. Of this public information, they get to take anything they want in the form of a quote (or misquote), reproduction, modification (of your photos, for example), create a derivation or incorporate it into other works (imagine the possibilities…and profits), take and display or perform anywhere they choose, but they also get to sub-license it to any affiliate, PERPETUALLY AND IRREVOCABLY! (read: now and forever without you calling a do-over)
In short: ANYTHING YOU DO ON THIS SITE IS NO LONGER YOURS ONCE YOU DO IT — AND IF THEY MAKE MONEY OFF WHAT YOU’VE DONE, YOU DON’T GET ANY OF IT.
Why is anyone using this shady-ass site?? None of Us are really that desperate for yet another BDSM directory, are We?
And what about the pros who are careful about where they advertise or are known? Well, using iFet.com means that now you are ostensibly placing that power in their hands.
Another kicker? I happened to notice they had My logo on their links page. I did not authorize this. A “Bruce”, from the “admin team”, said he doesn’t know where they obtained it. Well, I do: it was stolen from My website. I know this because I have not used it anywhere else, and it’s not hotlinked; I turned that off.
Now, you may think, “But, Mistress Tissa, isn’t that a good thing? They want to help you by listing you on their site!” No. It’s a shitty, unprofessional, and illegal thing.
#1: It’s never OK to steal someone else’s content.
#2: Since one of My images is (was) on their site, does this mean they believe they are granted all the rights they claim above?
#3: The links (and listing) page is actually useless, and does not help Me or other professionals.
Truly, fellow professionals, it’s pure vanity. A huge page full of banners is nearly pointless. (As is the page which states when a Domme was added.) It only makes those who are easily-won-over feel like iFet.com has done something useful for you. It doesn’t really help people find you and book a session with you. I mean, do you really think people are going to sit there and comb through all those banners to find someone in their area? No. Just like someone isn’t going to look at hundreds of banners for restaurants all over the world when all they want to know is where they can eat in the Spokane, Washington area. Sure, people perusing the banners may get you a little exposure, but you can get that elsewhere without someone trying to steal and claim rights to everything you do on their site.
I hope that those who are currently using the site reconsider. Or, in the very least, demand they change their terms.