Lately, a chunk of the Google+ Terms of Service is being tossed around to scare people because “they’ll own everything you post”! Obviously, this isn’t true, as Lotus Carroll has pointed out. Here’s the part being passed around:
“By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.”
Admittedly, it sounds kind of scary. That is, until you read the full text of that part of the TOS:
11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.
That’s a little better. The middle part being focused on is present in the Terms of Service for virtually every online site that focuses on user-generated content. It has to, because they need the right to show it! 
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So… Does that mean that they could take a photo of my children (for instance) that I’ve shared only with my family members circle and use it in an advertisement for their products?
Just trying for some clarification here….
They would ask permission.
“They would ask for permission” -Ha, Are you serious!?? Please Inform yourself BEFORE you SPEAK YOUR MIND.
You have an account? Yes? Then you have clicked on agree to terms! Which allows all your uploaded content to be used by the Host and any 3′d party, So…that DOES mean that they could take a photo your children (for instance) and use it in advertisement for their products (and whomever else they want to allow) Scary isn’t it.
I am very puzzled that anyone would publicly defend Yahoo’s practice of using your uploaded photographs and content for their own advertising needs, not to mention anyone else whom “Google has relationships”. How is that in my favor??? By clicking on:Terms of Service you agreed to this. Not only would I expect a multi-billion dollar company like Google to pay me for use of my content, I would want to know who these “other companies” are that they also, so freely provide my photos!