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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.
I still have the note about this in my mailbox from Monday...
*begin note*
Dear SBC DSL Internet Services Member,
SBC Internet Services* has been working to improve your member benefits. We've recently joined forces with the world's number one Internet destination -- Yahoo!(R) -- to bring you SBC Yahoo! DSL, a powerful new, feature-rich Internet experience that will replace your existing SBC Internet service.
Upgrade here: http://yahoo.sbc.com/activatedsl/upgrade.html
Upgrade to SBC Yahoo! DSL today. We've designed your new service so you can upgrade in just minutes, and of course, upgrade is free. All you have to do is follow the on-screen
instructions. It's that easy. Before you know it, you'll be enjoying a whole new set of nhancements, but 4 important aspects of your account won't be affected by this upgrade:
Your email address will stay the same.
Your monthly price will stay the same.**
Your billing method will stay the same.
Your high speed DSL Internet connection will stay the same.
_
With SBC Yahoo! DSL, you are in control. You have the power to choose which software to download based on the features you want: ***
+ SBC Yahoo! Browser Environment Software
This software package gives you the SBC Yahoo! DSL custom browser with built-in Messenger and LAUNCHcast Radio plus easy access to email, finance, games, and more. In addition, this package also includes Parental Controls and Firewall software.
+ SBC Yahoo! Dial Connection Manager Software
Loading this software gives you unlimited remote dial-up access to your account, so you have the ability to log in
with your existing email and password even when you're on
the road.
+ SBC Connection Manager Software (coming early 2003)
This software includes a large set of support tools that monitor, test, and repair your DSL connection to ensure high-quality service. In addition, the SBC Connection Manager will diagnose any connection problems and provide automated help to resolve the issue.
Mac users can also upgrade to the SBC Yahoo! DSL experience.
Download for Mac users is coming soon.
_
Once you upgrade... you'll receive incredible new features and services, including:
+ A home page you can customize to give you the information and features you want.
+ Email account with 25MB of online storage space.
+ 10 FREE additional email addresses - each with 10MB online storage space.
+ 110MB of online storage with SBC Yahoo! Photos and Briefcase.
+ 3 premium listings in both SBC Yahoo! Classifieds and SBC Yahoo! Auctions.
+ 2 select premium services like Bill Pay and Games memberships.
+ 20% discount on additional Premium Services in select categories.
Don't wait. Upgrade now and start enjoying your enhanced Internet experience right away. And be sure to check your email for additional information about your account update.
Upgrade here: http://yahoo.sbc.com/activatedsl/upgrade.html
P.S. Remember - your email address stays the same, your monthly price stays the same, your billing method stays the same, and your high speed DSL Internet connection stays the same. Act now. It only takes a few minutes to upgrade to the custom features of SBC Yahoo! DSL.
If you have any questions please go to http://yahoo.sbc.com/activatedsl/ for additional
information. For technical support please call:
1-877-SBC-DSL5
* Pacific Bell Internet Services, Nevada Bell Internet Services, Southwestern Bell Internet Services, Ameritech Interactive Media Services, SNET Diversified Group and Prodigy Communications, L.P.
** Your basic monthly price does not change during your existing term commitment.
*** Download of software is not required for the upgrade.
Download available for Windows users with
Internet Explorer 5.0 or above. Mac users can also upgrade to the SBC Yahoo! DSL experience. Download for Mac users is coming soon. Minimum systems requirements are provided online for the options you choose to download.
SBC Yahoo! DSL is an information service that combines DSL transport, Internet access and applications from SBC Internet Services, with customized content, services, and applications from Yahoo! Inc., to provide the customer with
high-speed broadband access to the World Wide Web. Further details on offers/packages provided during enrollment and registration. Acceptance of Terms of Service required.
Yahoo!, the Yahoo! logo and other Yahoo! logos and product and service names are the trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. SBC, the SBC logo and all other SBC logos and product and service names are the trademarks and/or registered trademarks of SBC Properties, L.P. All
other brand names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
(c) 2002 SBC Properties, L.P. and Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy: http://yahoo.sbc.com/privacy
*end note*
My thoughts: I don't think I'm going to "upgrade". From the note at the bottom about "your price will not change during your term commitment", I'm thinking that it's a trial of a more expensive service. I staying with the regular service. My server computer runs Mozilla on FreeBSD anyway. I don't need any of the Yahoo stuff.
NOTE: This post was edited to pass the "Lameness/Junk" filter. Slashdot didn't like the long horizontal lines that were in the Email.
NOTE2: This post was edited to pass the "too few characters for line" filter. Slashdot didn't like the way the lines were broke up.
-Valen
Stealing is bad. That's good to know.
Is installing a program on more than one computer stealing? Is installing bitkeeper and contributing to cvs without paying $5000 stealing? Is installing a program on a multi-processor box without paying for the multi-processor version stealing? Is using frontpage to make an anti-Microsoft web site stealing?
Existing law makes no provisions for a seller to dictate to a buyer what he may or may not use a product for.
But a EULA does. And if a EULA is equivalent to a binding contract, then it can be enforced as a contract can be.
Twenty years ago no one would ever have considered a EULA the same as a contract--no one signs it, there is no proof of who exactly agrees to it. But no one should underestimate the power of established tradition. As EULA's become more and more ubiquitous, they will become more and more accepted by the legal community. And eventually and gradually, without a single legislature passing any law on the matter, the courts will rule by precedent and make EULA's legally binding. And then you can trust that the consequences of forcing average consumers to agree to long and complex legal documents whenever they want to buy a common consumer good will be felt. The law will intrude even deeper into people's everyday lives, making everyone less free. No, people won't read them more carefully--that's impossible anyway, the EULA's necessary to install something as common as Windows with the necessary updates already includes more pages than the Bible. People won't choose to live as hermits in the woods, either--rather they will simply bend their backs and bear the burdens of a few more laws.
I just set up a new account with SBC/Yahoo. They no longer send you your PPPOE username/password - you have to run their monolithic installer to set up your account the first time. After that, though, it's regular PPPOE. I set up a sacrificial Windows machine to get my account info, then blew it all away and set up my Linksys router to do the PPPOE - it's working fine. None of their crappy software seems to be required at the moment.
> Your email address will stay the same.
>Your monthly price will stay the same.**
>Your billing method will stay the same.
> Your high speed DSL Internet connection will stay the same.
"**"? Why did I just instinctively reach for my wallet?
>[...]With SBC Yahoo! DSL, you are in control. You have the power to choose which software to download based on the features you want: ***
"***"? ...and my firewall? :-)
Interestingly enough, just a few weeks ago, I got a snail mailing regarding an opportunity to opt out of SBC's sell^H^H^Hharing of my CPNI (Customer Proprietary Network Information) data.
Unless I opted out, SBC promised that it would dutifully use the record of every phone number I dialled to figure out what sorts of crap^H^H^H^Hexciting products and services I might be interested in.
I wondered how the fuck a phone company could use that, and then I realized that if SBC is partnering up with Yahoo in order to provide DSL, that going through every phone user's CPNI records to target ad campaigns to users of competing (dial-up) ISPs would be a perfect application of this.
After all, with CPNI data, SBC could easily send "u wan2 swtch frm AOL" mailings to AOL users, "Tired of seeing Sky Dayton buggering the rotting corpse of Mindspring/Netcom every day?" mailings to Earthlink users of Mindspring or Netcom POPs, and "Why are you still with these small-timers" to users of independent/local ISPs.
Rant: I hate telcos. I hate marketroids. They seem to feed off each other, in an evil, sickening way that makes spammers seem honest by comparison.
At any rate, if you do business with SBC, I'd strongly recommend that you opt-out of having your calling records used for marketing purposes. (You'll need a copy of your phone bill to use that link. A few days later, you'll get a receipt in the snail-mail confirming your opt-out. No word on how long it lasts, but knowing the DMA, you'll probably have to jump through the hoop on at least an annual basis. )