[szx]

So you own your data but they won't let just any app touch it. Apps need to comply with certain conditions and FB retains complete control.

Where it gets interesting is when someone like this guy tries to circumvent this arrangement by having the user willingly supply them with their credentials.

FB would never blame the user, even though that's arguably the correct way to respond, because that's a PR disaster. Whether the guy in this particular story seems shady or not, it seems inevitable that FB would take the path of litigation to destroy anyone who exposes the dissonance in the way they run their business.

[joesmo]

If FB retains complete control, you don't own your data. If you own your data, FB (or any other party) cannot retain complete control. Otherwise, what is the meaning of "own" that you have redefined the word to mean?

[odbol_]

Own in the very legal sense that it is your Intellectual Property, even though you have no real control over it once it gets into their hands.

[joesmo]

After the license you give FB and most other such sites, yes, while legally you own the material, practically you no longer do because they are legally allowed to do whatever they want with it. I'm not going to address the stupidity of copyright law here, however.