# Do You Use AOL's AIM/ If So, Are You Aware Your Words Are Not Your Own? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 14, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403 "2005-03-14T03:39:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/1 "2005-03-14T03:39:26Z")
> [@](#): > > America Online, Inc. has quietly updated the terms of service for its AIM instant messaging application, making several changes that is sure to raise the hackles of Internet privacy advocates. > > The revamped terms of service, which apply only to users who downloaded the free AIM software on or after Feb. 5, 2004, gives AOL the right to “reproduce, display, perform, distribute, adapt and promote” all content distributed across the chat network by users. > > “ **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** ,” according to the AIM terms-of-service. > > “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,” it added. Source: [http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1775649,00.asp](http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1775649,00.asp) Yeah, so, you might say. Then there is this opinion. > [@](#): > > “They’re encouraging businesses to use AIM to discuss details of their business correspondence, even to sync their Outlook contact and calendar files, which, according to their TOS, AOL then has the right to publish in any way they see fit, including, among other things, providing that information to business competitors. I’d be pretty damn leery of using AIM@Work for any kind of business,” said Ben Stanfield, executive editor and founder of MacSlash, Inc. Now you may think that this is similar to the disclaimer when posting to the SDMB. From a non-lawyer’s POV, it looks to be the same. However, the SDMB is not an instant messaging system nor is it promoted as a messaging system. For me, AOL’s change is akin to the US Postal Service delivering your mail, but having the right to open up the envelopes, reading the contents and using said contents as they see fit. Another reason not to use AOL. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/2 "2005-03-14T03:51:59Z")
Fuckers. I use an AIM account with Apple’s iChat, so I never downloaded any software for it. But that blows. They should put a big banner ad on their front web pages saying “Hey! We’re untrustworthy!” ---
**Author:** ![Spacegirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Spacegirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spacegirl)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/3 "2005-03-14T04:00:09Z")
**MrFantsyPants** do you think this is irrelevant to ichat users? ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/4 "2005-03-14T04:51:06Z")
that completely blows. what other im options do we have? ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/5 "2005-03-14T04:53:06Z")
I bet this applies if you’ve even updated your AIM since Feb 5, 2004. There isn’t a way to check to see when you last downloaded AIM, is there? Ugh, I bet I’ve downloaded it since then, although I haven’t updated. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/6 "2005-03-14T04:55:11Z")
> [@wolf in second hand clothing](#): > > that completely blows. what other im options do we have? I don’t know if their policies are any better, but there’s Yahoo chat, MSN chat, Jabber. I always hoped Jabber would catch on, since it’s open source. Maybe this will give it a shot in the arm. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/7 "2005-03-14T05:00:17Z")
There’s all sorts of other message protocols to use, and gAIM supports most of them. I for one rarely use instant messengers, but every once in a while I’ll run into someone who wants me to talk to them with one, and gAIM fits the bill nicely. Also, if you’re using gAIM and AOL snoops on your conversations; you have _carte blanche_ to sue the nuts offa them. The EULA only applies to people using AOL’s AIM. Also, ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/8 "2005-03-14T05:02:28Z")
I’m not trying to be a naysayer or devil’s advocate, but I’ve tried to keep in mind that whenever I’m talking on the 'net, or emailing, or whatever…you never know who might be able to read what you type, and therefore, to generally treat it like a public forum. If I really wanted to tell someone something I wanted no one else to hear, I’d tell them in person, over the phone, etc. I guess my phone could be tapped, too, but I can’t imagine why. As long as I’m a normal, law-abiding citizen, I have little to fear in that area. (Now I’m sounding like a paranoid weirdo…) ---
**Author:** ![cluelessnoob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@cluelessnoob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cluelessnoob)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/9 "2005-03-14T05:17:01Z")
Ah, yes… “why do you want privacy if you’ve got nothing to hide?” If you’re really worried about security, you can use a chat client that supports IM encryption. Trillian lets you do this over the AIM network. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/10 "2005-03-14T05:49:45Z")
Do you all really think that AOHell is really going to snoop and try to sell trade secrets or bust people who have MJ? Think more along the lines of the ‘sue’ happy population and the silly $$$$ that get handed out by juries… Nothing on the net is 100% secure. I got lots to hide and I sure don’t put it in IM’s… Or on LJ ( Bawahahahahhaa ) or even in email. Heck, this is more about us attacking AOHell than the other way around. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/11 "2005-03-14T06:16:14Z")
It’s the same policy as the SDMB. Note, the section in question is under the heading “ **Content You Post** ”, not “ **Content you IM** ”. In other words, if you post an IM session to a public AOL forum, it is in part owned by AOL. They don’t monitor IM sessions, or store IM sessions on their servers. ---
**Author:** ![cluelessnoob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@cluelessnoob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cluelessnoob)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/12 "2005-03-14T12:27:06Z")
> [@Baraqiyal](#): > > It’s the same policy as the SDMB. > > Note, the section in question is under the heading “ **Content You Post** ”, not “ **Content you IM** ”. In other words, if you post an IM session to a public AOL forum, it is in part owned by AOL. They don’t monitor IM sessions, or store IM sessions on their servers. Looks like you’re right. According to this [news article](http://www.chron.com.nyud.net:8090/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/tech/blog/3082956) (linked to from [Slashdot](http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/03/14/0138215)), the keyword was indeed “post”. However, “post” is not the clearest word they could’ve used and I hope they change the wording. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-aols-aim-if-so-are-you-aware-your-words-are-not-your-own/294403/13 "2005-03-14T14:04:11Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I don’t know if their policies are any better, but there’s Yahoo chat, MSN chat, Jabber. FWIW I didn’t mean chat, but the messenger programs. (it was late).