The Blogosphere Strikes Again!

March 14, 2005

AOL quietly changed their AOL Instant Messager Terms of Service recently to usurp all reasonable expectations of privacy, but the blogosphere spilled the beans!

It all started when blogger Ben Stanfield posted about AOL’s secret plan to eavesdrop on your IM conversations, and quite possibly broadcast them to the world.

Here’s part of the anti-privacy statement AOL added to their AIM TOS:

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.

Word spread around the blogosphere, prompting AOL to send a spokesman to the media to do damage control for the company.

Of course, he spoke in stark contradiction to the Terms of Service. Stansfield took the spokesman, a Andrew Weinstein, to task for his misleading statements to the press.

I am happy to report that as of tonight, according to a CNET article, AOL clarifies IM privacy guarantee, Ben and the blogosphere has prevailed:

America Online said late Monday that it plans to revise its user agreement in response to concerns that instant messages sent through the company’s service could be monitored.

The new policy for AOL Instant Messenger, or AIM, will stress that the company does not eavesdrop on customer’s conversations except in unusual circumstances such as a court order, an AOL spokesman said.

Of course, the AOL spokesman chalks it all up to a mistake, but if Ben hadn’t noticed the waiver of all privacy in the TOS, then it is likely AOL would have retained the right to full reign over AIM conversations.

The Blogosphere strikes again!

[And in case you’re keeping score, this is the first time I’ve employed the usage of the word blogosphere on my blog. Not the first time I discovered it, just the first time I cared to use it. Go team!]