FirstAdopter.com

AOL Grants Itself Permission to Steal and Read your AOL IM Chats

This is as ridiculous as it comes, an enterprising blogger found changes in AOL IM's Terms of Service that allows AOL to have all rights to your IM conversations. What is AOL thinking? Do they think the next Hemingway is writing his work over AOL instant messenger? This will cause a firestorm and have Time Warner backing down in a jiffy.

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. [Discuss]