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  • SUNDAY MARCH 13 2005 10:00 AM

AIM: YouHaveNoRights

Submitted by Cigarette

Edited by Sean

Slashdot reports that AOL has altered its Terms of Service to the tune of absolutely controlling any content you distribute via instant messages.


Although you or the owner of the Content retain ownership of all right, title and interest in Content that you post to any AIM Product, AOL owns all right, title and interest in any compilation, collective work or other derivative work created by AOL using or incorporating this Content. In addition, 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. You waive any right to inspect or approve uses of the Content or to be compensated for any such uses.



Thus, rather than only allowing themselves to monitor potentially illegal activity on their network, AOL now reserves the right to use all of your communications for whatever uses they deem necessary. Only the extremely naïve would have any notion that AIM conversations are secure, but who among us expects AOL to troll our conversations for their own marketing purposes? Lesson learned? Read all of the TOS of all your software. But you knew that, didn't you? wink

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Comments
I_Poop_Too_Much

I_Poop_Too_Much

I'm lost
February 2004

MAR 13, 2005 10:05 AM

.....man. What movie studio am I going to try and sue for "ripping me off with AIM" first? biggrin Time-Warner owns AOL, right? Obviously, Batman Begins is totally derivative of what I've IMed over the last several years....time to call my lawyers, hopefully we can settle this out of court for big bucks....!

tongue

I wonder what brought on that change in ToS...?

rottenart

rottenart

Norman, OK
February 2004

MAR 13, 2005 10:06 AM

rodan

rodan

Baltimore, MD
February 2005

MAR 13, 2005 10:08 AM

rottenart said:



is that a surprise? ARRR!!!

jake_lex

jake_lex

Lexington, KY
February 2003

MAR 13, 2005 10:09 AM

There's no need for it to be for the purpose of monitoring for crime or sexual predators, because police already have the right to do that without a search or wiretap warrant. It's a completely public medium.

So, yeah, the only reason I can see for this is so when you type "OMFG ASHLEE SIMPSON IS TEH S3X052!!!!1111", they know to send you spam to buy her next CD.

rottenart

rottenart

Norman, OK
February 2004

MAR 13, 2005 10:11 AM

godammit, it would be a lot easier if big brother just wanted us to work and not think. now we have to buy ashlee simpson cds too?

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

MAR 13, 2005 10:23 AM

To be fair, this is a free service offered by a for-profit company that no one is forcing you to use. This isn't a quasi-public medium like the telephone or snail mail. Don't like it? Find an IM program with a TOS you agree with. Big Brother is only watching you when you let him.

Dogslife

dogslife

Toronto, ON
April 2003

MAR 13, 2005 10:32 AM

Might this be a good time to mention that the latest version of ICQ is pretty nifty?

JonnyJonnyH

JonnyJonnyH

Seattle, WA
June 2003

MAR 13, 2005 10:36 AM

Hush messanger is encrypted. I don't know anyone who uses it, but I have a copy of it on my computer in hopes that some day it will catch on. smile

rottenart

rottenart

Norman, OK
February 2004

MAR 13, 2005 10:38 AM

Cigarette said:
To be fair, this is a free service offered by a for-profit company that no one is forcing you to use. This isn't a quasi-public medium like the telephone or snail mail. Don't like it? Find an IM program with a TOS you agree with. Big Brother is only watching you when you let him.



you're right. i just like that poster.


[Edited on Mar 13, 2005 by rottenart]

Gilby

Gilby

Bridgeville, PA
October 2004

MAR 13, 2005 10:41 AM

The only thing that gets discussed between my friends and I on AIM is what bar we are meeting at. So if AOL really cares about that, more power to them.

RumpusParable

RumpusParable

Copperas Cove, TX
April 2003

MAR 13, 2005 10:44 AM

i wish more folks here were on ICQ... i dislike AIM & Yahoo Messanger + Trillian.

pensquare

pensquare

Tustin, CA
April 2003

MAR 13, 2005 10:51 AM

Sounds a hell of a lot like a legal issue, probably stemming in some way from the recent court case involving bloggers having to reveal their sources.

With a clause stating that nothing is private, AOL will never be taken to court for withholding information about its members, since it will pony up the info the second any lawyer or government agency wants it.

MisterSatan

MisterSatan

Portland, OR
August 2002

MAR 13, 2005 10:53 AM

Time to start sending pictures of scat porn to random people.

wink

filmME

filmME

Vancouver, BC
May 2003

MAR 13, 2005 10:57 AM

MisterSatan said:
Time to start sending pictures of scat porn to random people.

wink



holy shit I was waiting for you to say that.

MisterSatan

MisterSatan

Portland, OR
August 2002

MAR 13, 2005 11:00 AM

filmME said:

MisterSatan said:
Time to start sending pictures of scat porn to random people.

wink


holy shit I was waiting for you to say that.


Really? That's kinda freaky.

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