General Mills inadvertently shocked social-media users everywhere this week after an update to its legal policy was interpreted as preventing customers from suing the company if they Like any of its brands on Facebook. Now, the food company is reversing the change to its legal policy in response to the controversy.

"Those terms -– and our intentions -– were widely misread, causing concern among consumers," Kirstie Foster, General Mills' director of external communications, wrote in a statement online. "So we’ve listened –- and we’re changing them back to what they were before."

See also: General Mills Legal Policy Change Spooks Facebook Fans

The controversy started after The New York Times published an article on Thursday noting that GM "quietly added language" to its legal policy that takes away the customer's right to sue if they engage in a number of activities, including Liking the brand on Facebook. The key phrase in the updated terms, a portion of which you can read below, was "online communities."

In exchange for the benefits, discounts, content, features, services, or other offerings that you receive or have access to by using our websites, joining our sites as a member, joining our online community, subscribing to our email newsletters, downloading or printing a digital coupon, entering a sweepstakes or contest, redeeming a promotional offer, or otherwise participating in any other General Mills offering, you are agreeing to these terms.

The Times and a number of other publications took the "online community" reference to include social networks such as Facebook. Hours after the article was published, General Mills clarified that this did not in fact include Facebook.

"No one is precluded from suing us by purchasing our products at a store, and no one is precluded from suing us when they “like” one of our Facebook pages," Foster wrote in an earlier statement attempting to clarify the update. "That is just a mischaracterization."

By that point, news of the change had already spread, and many users complained about the updated policy on the Facebook pages for General Mills brands. That left the company with little choice but to scrap the policy change, and apologize to customers for the confusion.

Customers react to the policy changes on the Facebook page for Cheerios, a General Mills brand.

"We’re sorry we even started down this path. And we do hope you’ll accept our apology," Foster wrote in the latest statement on Saturday. "We also hope that you’ll continue to download product coupons, talk to us on social media or look for recipes on our websites."