You still own what you post. That's the message Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave to users Wednesday when the social networking site reverted to its old Terms of Service agreement regarding rights to posted data.

A massive outcry erupted after the site changed the language in the terms Feb. 4 to imply it retained permanent ownership of any material a user put on Facebook, even if he or she disabled the account. The protests intensified Sunday after consumer advocacy blog Consumerist highlighted the changes.

Zuckerberg wrote on his blog that Facebook will leave the old agreement intact until the company drafts language that clarifies its policy toward users' content.

“Our terms aren't just a document that protect[s] our rights,” he wrote. “[I]t's the governing document for how the service is used by everyone across the world. Given its importance, we need to make sure the terms reflect the principles and values of the people using the service.”

The terms, which were previously updated in September 2008, grant the site rights to share and distribute information from a user's profile as long as that person maintains a Facebook account.

You still own what you post. That's the message Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave to users Wednesday when the social networking site reverted to its old Terms of Service agreement regarding rights to posted data.

A massive outcry erupted after the site changed the language in the terms Feb. 4 to imply it retained permanent ownership of any material a user put on Facebook, even if he or she disabled the account. The protests intensified Sunday after consumer advocacy blog Consumerist highlighted the changes.

Zuckerberg wrote on his blog that Facebook will leave the old agreement intact until the company drafts language that clarifies its policy toward users' content.

“Our terms aren't just a document that protect[s] our rights,” he wrote. “[I]t's the governing document for how the service is used by everyone across the world. Given its importance, we need to make sure the terms reflect the principles and values of the people using the service.”

The terms, which were previously updated in September 2008, grant the site rights to share and distribute information from a user's profile as long as that person maintains a Facebook account.