Adobe Photoshop's Updated Terms Require Permission to Handle Your Created Designs
This week, Photoshop users were greeted with a new pop-up notifying them of changes to Adobe's terms of service. While it's not uncommon for companies to modify their TOS, Adobe's updates take things a step too far. Instead of tweaking a few permissions, the software giant now claims the right to access their users' work for various purposes, including training AI.
The revised terms, which supposedly went into effect on February 17th, apply to all Adobe applications. However, it seems that Adobe only alerted Photoshop users of these changes this week. The alterations can be found in section 2.2:
"2.2 Our Access to Your Content. We may access, view, or listen to your Content (defined in section 4.1 (Content) below) through both automated and manual methods, but only in limited ways, and only as permitted by law. For example, in order to provide the Services and Software, we may need to access, view, or listen to your Content to (A) respond to Feedback or support requests; (B) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security, legal, or technical issues; and (C) enforce the Terms, as further set forth in Section 4.1 below. Our automated systems may analyze your Content and Creative Cloud Customer Fonts (defined in section 3.10 (Creative Cloud Customer Fonts) below) using techniques such as machine learning in order to improve our Services and Software and the user experience. Information on how Adobe uses machine learning can be found here: http://www.adobe.com/go/machine_learning."
The response from the creative community has been harsh. Sam Santala, founder of Songhorn Studios, posted on X, venting his frustration over Adobe locking him out of Photoshop until he agrees to their new terms:
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Filmmaker Duncan Jones also voiced his displeasure, criticizing Adobe for interfering with his work and demanding access to creators' projects simply because they're using Adobe's software. Jones later deleted this post.
According to Santala, you can't even uninstall Photoshop without consenting to the new rules. This leaves creators with two options: give Adobe unlimited access to their work, or watch Photoshop turn into a useless piece of software on your computer.
Despite the backlash, Adobe has stayed silent on the issue so far. As of this writing, the updated terms still reflect these conditions.
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In response to the updated terms of service in Adobe Photoshop, tech enthusiasts are expressing concerns about the company's new right to access users' work for various purposes, including training AI. Many users are unhappy with the requirement to consent to these new rules, as it seems they cannot uninstall Photoshop without doing so.
This controversy over the Photoshop terms of service has sparked discussions on tech forums and social media platforms, where users are debating the implications of these changes for privacy and creative control.
