VSCO’s Terms of Use Are Raising Red Flags (Again)

Here we go again. Just when we thought the photo platform drama had settled down after Adobe’s infamous Terms of Service debacle a couple years back, VSCO is now facing scrutiny over some of its own policy language. And honestly? Photographers are right to pay attention.

If you’ve been living under a rock, let me catch you up: Adobe got absolutely roasted by the creative community when users discovered language suggesting the company could potentially use their uploaded content to train AI models without explicit permission. The backlash was swift and brutal, forcing Adobe to walk back the most egregious parts of their policy. It was a masterclass in “don’t anger thousands of artists at once.”

Now VSCO, the beloved photo editing app that many of us use as our go-to mobile workspace, is finding itself in the spotlight for similar reasons.

What’s Actually Happening with VSCO?

The platform’s Terms of Use contain some pretty broad language about how they can use user-generated content. While I’m not saying VSCO is secretly harvesting your images for some nefarious AI training operation, the wording is vague enough to make any photographer squirm.

Here’s what matters: when you upload photos to any platform—whether it’s VSCO, Instagram, or your cousin’s sketchy photo-hosting website—you’re essentially granting them rights to that content. The real question is how broad those rights are.

What You Should Actually Do

First, read the Terms of Use yourself. I know, I know—nobody does this. But for something as important as your creative work, it’s worth spending fifteen minutes actually understanding what you’re agreeing to.

Second, remember that VSCO’s cloud backup and sharing features are incredibly convenient, but they’re not a replacement for your own local backups. Treat VSCO like what it is: a fantastic editing and organizing tool, not your primary archive.

Third, don’t panic. Companies update their policies constantly, and public pressure absolutely works. If enough photographers voice concerns, platforms listen.

The Bigger Picture

These controversies keep happening because the line between “we need broad rights to operate our service” and “we’re going to commercially exploit your work” is genuinely blurry in 2024. It’s messy. But it’s also worth staying informed about.

Keep creating, keep backing up your work locally, and maybe—just maybe—skim those Terms of Use next time.