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SKYDIVING
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AOL Policies you should know
about!
- I recently read a case in the newspaper, where AOL had
determined that someone was illegally selling drugs on their chatrooms. It
was a chat room for women trying to get pregnant, discussing fertility meds.
- Regardless, one of the people in the discussion found
their services terminated. They tried to renew some time later, only to find
that they'd been labeled by America Online.
- I decided that if AOL is keeping these kinds of
records, or watching people in this manner, then I didn't want to be a part
of what they are doing. So I called to cancel my AOL account. I rarely used
it anyway.
- I learned that AOL does indeed, keep records of all of
your transactions, transmissions, and other information. I further learned,
that I could not even be told what was in my record. It was none of my
business, I was told. See foryour selfif you don't believe me!
- Request that they express, explain, or articulate what
information if any, they have on file regarding you as a person, your
account (other than mailing/billing info) and if they have any information
in your files about anything at all. They will tell you they have
information, but won't tell you what it is.
They will not grant you access to information of any
kind. They will not tell you why, they will not e-mail you a denial of same
information. They will not explain why not, nor explain the terms under
which they create the records. They will not confirm nor deny that they have
current, or have had prior access to your e-mail. The only thing that they
would confirm, is that they don't watch where you go on the Internet. But
that there are other companies who do watch where you go, and that AOL does
have access to that information should they need it. They will not give you
anything, except to say that if you want any information about your account,
you must subpoena it from them. In Utah, it's difficult to gain a subpoena
unless you have a denial of record. AOL will not give you a denial of
record. Their policy is to verbally explain that you can't have access, and
that is the end of their policy. I spoke to 2 supervisors, asking where in
their terms of service it is explained that they are allowed to keep records
regarding users that users are not allowed access to. Neither supervisor
could find it. So, big brother AOL is allowed to keep and hold potentially
bogus, damaging, and intrusive information on you as a user, but not grant
you access to that information as a user. They even have security codes to
verify that you are the user, but will not accept those security codes as
verification that you are THE user for any purpose other than billing. This
is scary. Who knows what else they may be doing? I asked the man how he, in
good conscience, could work for a company that held information that may or
may not be accurate, without avenue of appeal, without evidence of access,
and without the right to confront any accuser. His response was, 'If you
want those kinds of rights, then look to the Constitution. AOL is not
covered by the Constitution of the United States, we are governed by
in-house policy."
- It's not that I have anything to hide. That's not the
point. If they have a record on me, then I should know what they have to say
about me. I do have the right to know, but they make it dang near impossible
to get access to that information.
Part of this, I learned when I had the total nutcase
writing me about 'messages from my son." We contacted AOL with a letter
from an attorney, requesting that person's real name, and explained why we
needed the information. Rather than writing us back, they called us, and
explained that we needed a subpoena for the information. So we asked for a
letter explaining that their policy was to subpoena information, and they
explained that their policy is to not put those kinds of statements in
writing. Why not? Seems that they are the ones with something to hide.
- This is a personal position, but one that seems serious enough that you
all should know about. What do they have on YOU?
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