Aol Owns Everything You Say...

[Gnimsh]

If you use AIM, they now own anything you say and can use it for anything they want. I'd call that a pretty big security hole.

Link to story: http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/...359226&from=rss

New AIM ToS: http://www.aim.com/tos/tos.adp

An excerpt from the ToS:

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.

[tg1911]

Just one more reason not to use AIM.

[jennie171]

There are eyes and ears everywhere.....................

I feel a panic attack coming on.........................

Hey is that my shadow?.............................

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*runs frantically* "thier chasing me, thier chasing me"

.............."get them off"...............................

Sorry, momentary lapse of sanity, this subject goes back to that old saying.

If you dont want everyone to know then dont say it out loud.

[thesidekickcat]

An excerpt from the ToS: 

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.

I think that is probably the standard OP of any place you might deal with, including your work place. As for any other place you put material, such as a message board, or website, etc, you need to read their policies carefully. In some way or other, I bet a good many have a policy (written or unwritten), or statement, such as this.

Also schools, especially at the university level, probably have the right to anything you do there on their premises doing classes/experiments/inventions/and anything else the school would think is intellectually their property with an eye to developing something marketable, or to build on intellectually with the next group of students.

And it is true for most corporations in regards to their workers too.

Whatever you say, write, design, or in any other way do while on the job/premises, or using the company's computers or phones etc is probably covered in the workers manual as belonging to the company you work for and/or subject to their right to monitor you, or use whatever you did for the company (or against you if you violate their rules or any law).

I think the most troubling thing in the statement quoted, is the waiver of rights to Privacy, and secondarily, any right to even the knowledge, let alone approval, of what they, or whoever they assign the rights to, do in regards to using of your stuff. Of course I would assume with such a notice that no compensation would be given either, as is stated in that notice.

Now I didn't check out the links given, so the other thing to look for in this type of notice, is who is liable for any content and when? You, or the company involved?

Now the big question I have for anyone, is why they would first post anything that is of value in that type venue, or any other, without checking for such notices?

As much as we think we have freedom to what we think is ours, the more we are probably wrong. Freedom, privacy, rights, etc. have been slowly eroding over the years. I love our country, don't get me wrong there. But little by little we have allowed, knowingly or unknowingly, our rights and freedoms to disappear....one clause at a time. Ever vigilant we were told to be by our founding fathers, except we haven't done our part to protect those freedoms. Perhaps in the same way as the frog doesn't notice the slow rise to boiling temperature, we too have not noticed the danger, and when we do it is often to late. Sad commentary of our times.

God bless everyone.

Edited March 12, 2005 by thesidekickcat

[Matt]

I use Aim, but via Trillian. Does that offer me any protection?

[Andy_veal]

I have never been a fan of AOL, as a company.

They seem to make computing more advanced by AOL this and AOL that!

And I dont like that woman from the adverts!

[sultan_emerr]

I have never been a fan of AOL, as a company.

They seem to make computing more advanced by AOL this and AOL that!

And I dont like that woman from the adverts!

I agree with Andy_veal

[tg1911]

Here's an update:

AOL clarifies IM privacy guarantee