Some heeded the initial warning signs, but many (including myself) did not. When I heard employers were appointing “Facebook spies” to screen our profiles, I just restricted the viewing access to friends. When all the annoying applications were developed, I told myself I was just going to sign up for the “How California Are You?” application. Not thinking too much about it, I checked that little box agreeing to let the application access my information.

But I recently found out (not through Facebook itself, but blogs and news sources) that the Terms of Use changed without our knowledge and certainly without our consent. People were pissed. It started with a few users spotting the change to the terms (which we the users were never required to acknowledge or re-sign):

“You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license … to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers).” If Facebook owned our content to the extent of the above terms, it would have the right to sell our photos too. I certainly don’t want to see pictures from my 21st birthday celebration on the front of a 99-cent greeting card, and neither would you.

But Facebook has since reverted back to the original terms. In yesterday’s New York Times, the chief privacy officer said there was essentially a misunderstanding of Facebook’s intentions and that the new terms of service were changed to appear simpler to its users. Can you smell it? I can, and it’s worse than the sewer outside 1835 Hinman.

A few days ago, Zuckerberg furthered this claim by posting a (highly official) Facebook note that the team really wants our input through a Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. Hm, Mark, will the user input be taken into consideration like our cries of disgust with the “New Facebook” a few months ago? There was a petition and countless groups and personal statuses devoted to the hatred of the new Facebook, and it was all in vain.

But this Bill of Rights and Responsibilities Group already has 76,000 members. You may ask, is it really worth making a stink? Whether you love to hate the FB or don’t care enough, it’s here to stay because we let it. It was untouchable when it first came out in 2005 and it’s untouchable now. Facebook may never be replaced (as MySpace was) because nothing can come close to it. With all this bad rap, I ask myself why I even continue to log in.

I stay because I see no point in leaving. I could deactivate my account, but then I would fear losing touch with everyone after I graduate. I could clean up my profile – taking down pictures, interests, contact information. But is there even a point? Facebook already knows everything about Jenny Fukumoto and has it stored away in its archives somewhere. A little reminiscent of Big Brother, but I know it’s my fault in the first place.

So, I guess you win, Facebook.