AOL have apparently updated their TOS “Terms Of Service” for their AOL Instant Messaging application. The new terms basically give them the rights to do a great many questionable things with your data according to Eweek. A snippet of the new TOS reads “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”. From memory Microsoft tried something like this with their Passport service not so long ago and ended up changing it after a public outcry so I can’t see AOL getting away with it either, particularly since companies are trying to move Instant Messaging into the workplace. If you are considering AOL IM, or are already a user, you should read the Eweek article and pay particular attention to the EULA when you install new versions of the software.
For those of you wondering about the title for this story, It’s a geek joke about a badly translated asian game that came out many years ago, the catch phrase is “All your bases are belong to us” and a quick Google will tell you more then you ever wanted to know about it.
INSERT: AOL have responded, and claim that the TOS changes were never about private person to person communications and were instead regarding public postings. My comment is that if this is indeed what they meant, why doesn’t the TOS impose this limit on itself rather then leaving it up for later interpretation.
INSERT 2: AOL have indicated that they are making 3 changes to the TOS to make it clear that private chats are exactly that, private. Read the update at Eweek. Isn’t public pressure a wonderful thing?
