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Boing Boing: AIM contract takes your privacy
by k at 11:24 am EST, Mar 14, 2005 |
] Many readers have written to point out that AOL's new
] Terms of Service for AIM "include the right for AOL to
] use anything and everything you send through AIM in any
] way they see fit, without informing you. A sample
] passage: '...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.'" [ I'm no lawyer of course, and I'm always wary of nerds yammering about legal stuff, but it's still a little disturbing. I mean, I never assumed that anything i sent through AIM was especially private, but I don't really like the idea of AOL using it for whatever they want either. Then again, they aren't charging me for the use of their servers either, so to some extent, I guess I don't have lot of bitching room. -k] |
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RE: Boing Boing: AIM contract takes your privacy
by Decius at 12:12 pm EST, Mar 14, 2005 |
k wrote:
] I mean, I never assumed that anything i sent
] through AIM was especially private, but I don't really like
] the idea of AOL using it for whatever they want either. Then
] again, they aren't charging me for the use of their servers
] either, so to some extent, I guess I don't have lot of
] bitching room. -k] Meh... I think this is just lawyers covering asses. AOL is not going to be taking your private AIM messages and posting them to the public internet. However, if they did not disclaim all of your rights you could try to sue them because they made copies of your "intellectual property" in ram on their server while they were delivering it to it's destination or some other crap like that. The reality is that this kind of stuff is not going to happen, and if you are worried about it happenning, then why worry about the law protecting you. It can still happen even if its not covered by contract. You should use a more secure IM protocol instead. |
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RE: Boing Boing: AIM contract takes your privacy
by k at 1:01 pm EST, Mar 14, 2005 |
Decius wrote:
] Meh... I think this is just lawyers covering asses. AOL is not
] going to be taking your private AIM messages and posting them
] to the public internet. However, if they did not disclaim all
] of your rights you could try to sue them because they made
] copies of your "intellectual property" in ram on their server
] while they were delivering it to it's destination or some
] other crap like that.
]
] The reality is that this kind of stuff is not going to happen,
] and if you are worried about it happenning, then why worry
] about the law protecting you. It can still happen even if its
] not covered by contract. You should use a more secure IM
] protocol instead. [ Agreed. I'm not likely to switch IM protocols anytime soon, unless everyone starts using Skype or something. -k] |
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RE: Boing Boing: AIM contract takes your privacy
by noteworthy at 10:21 pm EST, Mar 14, 2005 |
Decius wrote:
] The reality is that this kind of stuff is not going to happen. I wouldn't be so sure. Choicepoint and LexisNexis may be in legal hot water over recent security breaches. They are only the latest and most public chapters in a long and continuing saga. With the new terms at AOL, if a vulnerability should compromise the security of the AIM service, then customers cannot sue AOL under data privacy laws. For AOL, this is a big win in terms of limiting their liability. I think the lawyers are doing more than "CYA" -- this is probably reducing their insurance premiums. |
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