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Aim Tos
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| A83 |
| quote: | March 12, 2005, 9:04AM
N0 privacy 4 u, LOL!!!!!
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
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A poster at Slashdot who has plenty of spare time to read the fine print in privacy notices found this little gem in the update to AOL Instant Messenger's legalese:
. . . .by posting Content on an AIM Product, you grant AOL, its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, assigns, agents and licensees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide right to reproduce, display, perform, distribute, adapt and promote this Content in any medium. You waive any right to privacy.
That's right, folks. Anything you type into an AIM chat window is fair game for America Online to use and publicly display. Not that anyone is going to care much about the mundane aspects of most IM communications, but it should be enough to give second thoughts to anyone who uses AIM for serious business communications.
And instant messaging is used in business all the time. That's why AOL has launched a line of AIM business products called AIM@Work. They include AIM Sync, which ties Outlook e-mail to the AIM buddy list.
Which raises the question: Are e-mail addresses in Outlook, and even the e-mail content itself, considered "posting Content on an AIM Product," and thus usable by AOL?
Update: Someone posting a comment to the Slashdot item suspects the clause in question may only refer to "message board posts, chat participation, and homepages," and not IMs:
My reading of this is that AOL retains usage rights to everything you post on their static forums... forums which basically anyone can access. While I would feel better if this were not the case, that is a good bit better than AOL reading the I.M.'s you send to your co-workers.
However, the clause in question refers to "an AIM Product," without a qualifier. The terms of service defines "AIM Product" as:
. . . AIM software (whether preinstalled, on a medium or offered by download), AIM services, AIM websites (including, without limitation, AIM.COM and AIMTODAY.COM) and all other software, features, tools, web sites and services provided by or through AIM from America Online, Inc. and its business divisions (e.g., Netscape) (collectively "AOL") and AOL's third-party vendors. |
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistor...usiness/3081870
Move to skype |
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| Yan |
| I read about this about an hour ago. Pisses the hell out of me, actually. ::moves on to using MSN Messenger:: |
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| Zenchowdah |
| quote: | Originally posted by Yan
I read about this about an hour ago. Pisses the hell out of me, actually. ::moves on to using MSN Messenger:: |
oh, yeah, because if there's anyone concerned about your privacy, its microsoft :rolleyes: |
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| Yan |
| quote: | Originally posted by Zenchowdah
oh, yeah, because if there's anyone concerned about your privacy, its microsoft :rolleyes: |
Good point.
Hmmm...
Fsck instant messaging. It's all about text messaging.
Alright everyone. Post some cell phone numbers! |
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| Zenchowdah |
| quote: | Originally posted by Yan
Good point.
Hmmm...
Fsck instant messaging. It's all about text messaging.
Alright everyone. Post some cell phone numbers! |
i had a drunk thread on this back in december, but sure wtf
7168671337 :p |
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| A83 |
5185770760 :D
someone msg me |
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| Geoff |
| i'm sure aol loves reading messages full of "OMFG STFU BBQ ROFLCOPTER DON'T SEND TEH LETTAR" |
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| Zenchowdah |
| quote: | Originally posted by Geoff
i'm sure aol loves reading messages full of "OMFG STFU BBQ ROFLCOPTER DON'T SEND TEH LETTAR" |
HAHAHA yeah, its sad, they have the ability to spy on everyone, but no one is saying anything worth while. |
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| Zenchowdah |
| quote: | Originally posted by A83
5185770760 :D
someone msg me |
done |
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| beats and beeps |
Whats with all this ing communication.
Technology is supposed to make us self reliant to make us evolve, so that we can each be powerful people.
Not so that a ing woman has to phone her boyfriend up in a grocery store to ask him to which toothpaste he thinks will taste better. And not so that a ing business yuppie man can phone his wife and tell her not to put the food in the microwave yet, he's going to be five minutes late, and as she begins to yell at him, he runs a red light and kills 5 school children.
Why does everyone feel that they need to tell someone something all of the time. The one person you're talking to probably doesnt give a , and you're pissing off tens of other people at best, at worst you're running a midget over with your shopping cart.
I'm going to go make another thread about what I ate today, I'm sure someone must be interested. |
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| Arbiter |
| TOS agreements always fail in court. It doesn't mean anything. |
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