Are You An AOL Subscriber?
AOL, Big Brother Is Censoring You
By Trina L.C. Schiller
I really have to laugh at John Q. American. You hear it all the time - Someone, somewhere, has had their constitutional rights violated, whether it be freedom of speech, the right to public assembly, or the right to practice religion in their own way. American's are really big on constitutional rights, and make a lot of noise about them.
So why then, do millions of Americans pay good money to have their rights stomped on by AOL?
AOL has completely convinced John Q. that they are protecting him from everything nasty on the Internet. If this is true, why do they provide users a special browser, modified for their own commercial gain, that is an Internet Explorer application? Everyone knows that Internet Explorer has security holes large enough to drive a truck through. So where is the protection?
According to AOL's own terms of service, they do not protect you from objectionable material, if they have been paid to post it. They also do not filter search results for objectionable material like Google and Yahoo do. How do you like that?
"AOL.COM may include links to third party websites, including links provided as automated search results. Some of these sites may contain materials that are objectionable, unlawful, or inaccurate. These links do not mean that we endorse these third party sites or services. You acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible or liable for any Content or other materials on these third party sites. Any dealings that you have with advertisers found on AOL.COM are between you and the advertiser and you acknowledge and agree that we are not liable for any loss or claim you may have against an advertiser."
AOL will put any link, to any thing, on their pages, if they are paid to. Clearly, the almighty dollar wins out over customer protection.
You may use AOL.COM and the Content offered on AOL.COM only for personal, non-commercial purposes.
Taken literally, this means that you may not use your AOL email address for business correspondence, nor can you use their web space to build a business web site. (I don't know about you, but I get spammed by AOL members all the time.)
I have to wonder how many people actually read AOL's terms of service, or privacy policies before subscribing. Did you know...
Collection of your AOL Network Information
Ok, so there you have it... AOL monitors everything you do through their browser, and their Instant Messenger program. They track your every move, so that they know what kinds of advertisements to spam you with, and they share your information with their affiliates (paid advertisers), so they can spam you too.
"Your AOL Network information consists of personally identifiable information collected or received about you when you interact with the AOL Network's Web sites, services and offerings as a registered user. Depending on how you use the Network, your AOL Network information may include
* registration-related information (such as name, home or work addresses, e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers, birth date or gender);
* information about your visits to AOL Network Web sites and pages, and your responses to the offerings and advertisements presented on these Web sites and pages;
* information about the searches you perform through the AOL Network and how you use the results of those searches;
* information about the AOL Network services or offerings that you use, and how frequently you use them;
* information about how long you have used services from AOL, Inc. prior to registering with the Network;
* transaction-related information (such as credit card or other preferred means of payment, billing or shipping information, or a history of products purchased through the AOL Network);
* customer service information about you as a AOL Network user or subscriber; or
* other information specifically related to your use of a particular AOL Network service or offering.
How Your AOL Network information is Used
Your AOL Network information is used
* to operate and improve the Web sites, services and offerings available through the AOL Network;
* to personalize the content and advertisements provided to you;
* to fulfill your requests for products, programs, and services;
* to communicate with you and respond to your inquiries;
* to conduct research about your use of the AOL Network; and
* to help offer you other products, programs, or services that may be of interest.
Your AOL Network information may be shared with the Network's affiliated providers."
In a test I did, after downloading AIM, my anti-spyware program picked it up as a threat and quarantined it. What does that tell you?
Not only does AOL track your every move, but they decide what email messages you can receive. You have no control. You might think you do, but that is an illusion. White listing does not guarantee that you will get messages from certain people. (I've been white listed by family members who use AOL, and they never get my messages.)
What right does AOL have to block messages from your account? Why should an ISP filter messages anyway? Are we not capable of filtering our own email?
Their censorship is damaging to subscribers who break their rule (probably unknowingly) and use their AOL account for business correspondence. For example: I received payment for copy writing services, and when I sent a follow up message to my client, who uses AOL, the message bounced back to me, as refused by the server. Since I do not have this person's phone number, I have no way to contact them to conclude our business transaction.
Is it not a federal crime to tamper with the US mail? Why should email be any different? I am not sending messages to AOL, I am sending messages to one of their subscribers. AOL is tampering with your email, censoring it, and only allowing you to see what they want you to see. AOL subscribers still get mailboxes filled with spam. The only difference is that the spam they receive has been paid for by the advertiser, and given to them by AOL.
What really kills me about all of this is that, as previously stated, American's are really big on having their rights protected, yet they pay top dollar to AOL, so they [AOL] can stomp all over the very rights those people are screaming about.
AOL is a double standard in itself. You cannot send or receive any unsolicited commercial email, but they can send you all of the unsolicited commercial crap they want to. And to top it off, they prevent you from getting the email you want to receive.
If they really cared about your privacy and want to protect you from web nasties, then why do they collect and share your private information, and track your every move? Think about it.
Why are you paying AOL to control your Internet experience? And why do users have to use that very special browser any way? Because AOL wants to be able to cram as much advertising down the throats of their subscribers as they can. Because they want to know where you go on the web, and what you're doing.
All information regarding AOL's terms of service and privacy policy have been directly quoted from their web site, and is copyrighted material. It has only been used here to demonstrate those policies for the propose of validating the information contained in this article.
Copyright © 2006
The Trii-Zine Ezine
www.ezines1.com
About the Author:
Trina L.C. Schiller
Publisher - The Trii-Zine Ezine - Internet marketing and home business resources and information. Serving online professionals since 2001.
http://www.ezines1.com/triizine
http://www.trinaschiller.ws
Keywords: AOL, America Online, censorship, spam, commercial email, ISP services
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