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SBC-Yahoo Partnership Cuts User Privacy
simeonbeta2 writes "The San Francisco Chronicle is running a story about Pac Bell's dsl partnership with Yahoo. Initially touted as a new service, Pac Bell is apparently now mailing existing dsl customers to urge them to install additional client software that will enable 'incredible new features and services'. While SBC's privacy policy is not excessively intrusive, use of the new software is covered by Yahoo's privacy policy, which is just a bit more Orwellian." The story's a little overblown - Yahoo's privacy policy reads that way because they offer financial services and the like, where they may well need financial information from you to provide the service. The reporter needed to investigate this new software DSL users are being asked to install, and find out what sort of user tracking it enables.
Big companies still don't care about your rights!
Yawn.
On my Commodore Amiga.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Since when are reporters supposed to actually research something before writing their opinions, er... articles?
It's easy to stand out when the general level of competence is so low.
Whenever I see a commercial for SBC-Yahoo-DSL, there is only one thought that comes to mind: ten years ago, did any of those three words mean anything (maybe SBC meant something to some of you). It cracks me up that three terms that meant nothing to me 10 years ago all teamed up to make one huge-freaking-term: SBC-Yahoo-DSL. How can other companies compete with that?
Sex - Find It
They're just bundling in consumer profiling into the ISP, so people basically pay to be advertised to under the guise of having a homepage that displays things they're interested in (and apparently everyone is interested in consumer goods, top 40 music, and celebrity gossip). Obviously this is a staggering innovation, perhaps patent worthy (if Amazon hasn't beaten them to the punch, natch).
The whole scheme is just retarded and I had a nice chuckle when SBC (my ISP...) emailed me offering a free (!) upgrade to Yahoo!DSL. Fortunately this "service" isn't supported under Linux, so I could use it even if I wanted to.
Thank you for having the self control to not make that a soviet russia comment....
I just use my 56k modem after dropping my DSL. No funky software to install.
*locks himself in the bathroom and cries like a baby*
Wow, for once I'm glad I have AIDS and will be dead by the time the software upgrade is mandatory.
Send Travis McGee down there to discuss your privacy with them!!!.
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
I recently switched over to Yahoo!/SBC DSL thinking it would be neat to have access to the Yahoo! features. I had a problem with the install (after agreeing to the Orwellian user agreement) and decided to call tech support. A fellow named O'Brien answered. It started out friendly and he guided me through setting up online Solitaire, but things rapidly deteriorated. He began to question me about my sexuality - pointed questions that were quite disturbing. I tried to deflect them and get back to my Yahoo! DSL problems but he wouldn't let up. Finally I told him that he was behaving inappropriately and I wanted to talk to his manager. He called me a "thought criminal" and said I was dressing too flamboyantly. He said he was watching me through my webcam (apparently I agreed to this in the Orwellian user agreement) and to remain seated, as he was dispatching a team of Yahooligans to begin my re-education. I sit here paralyzed with fear, knowing that all that once was is no more. Pray for me.
They do bill it as: "The Internet that knows you" They simply don't elaborate how much it knows....
Uncanny... Four minutes after you post, your premonition came true.
Any lottery tips?
For God's sake man, don't you read?