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AT&T Silences Criticism in New Terms of Service

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the say-no-evil dept.

marco13185 writes "AT&T's new Terms of Service give AT&T the right to suspend your account and all service "for conduct that AT&T believes"..."(c) tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries." After cooperating with the government's violations of privacy and liberties, I guess AT&T wants their fair share. AT&T users may want to think twice about commenting if they value their internet service."

9 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. Reason #1 for net neutrality... by ph4s3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...your ISP does not have the right to censor you or limit your access based on what you have to say so long as it conforms to any applicable laws.

    1. Re:Reason #1 for net neutrality... by Original+Replica · · Score: 5, Insightful

      this isn't "censoring" in the common carrier terminology. They are shutting down accounts,

      So in an area where they have the only service available they are silencing their critics, how is that not censoring? Isn't part of the common carrier status a requirement to not deny service to someone because of stated ideological/political beliefs? My political beliefs include ideals about how global companies should act, and thus should be protected speech in the common carrier sense.

      --
      We are all just people.
  2. Let them try disconnecting... by freedom_india · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Let them try disconnecting a landline telephone line in mid winter in East Coast to a house which has an infant in it.
    Laws exist that prevent disconnecting landline AND electricity which is used to power heat to any house in New England states which has an elder or an infant in it.

    Let AT&T just try it.

    You would see the full weight of law and the CT Supreme Court falling upon it.

    --
    "Doing what i can, with what i have." ~ Burt Gummer
  3. Not censorship by speaker+of+the+truth · · Score: 5, Funny

    This isn't censorship but a value added service on AT&T's behalf. If someone is complaining about AT&T obviously they're unhappy with their service and so AT&T saves them the customer the hassle of calling and cancelling the service by simply cancelling it themselves. This is a great service on AT&T's part (no more having to wait 1 hour on hold to talk to a person) and I can't see how anyone could complain about it.

    --
    Using openSUSE instead of Windows since 9th of October, 2007 and liking it.
    1. Re:Not censorship by ElMiguel · · Score: 5, Funny

      I can't see how anyone could complain about it.

      You only say that because you want to keep your Internet connection.

  4. Re:If you dont like it... by Conspicuous+Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    .. why give them your money?

    I don't live in the states, but aren't they the sole provider in many areas?

    Something needs to be done to stop the growing trend of laundry-list TOS agreements that amount to "we can kick you off our network any time we damn well feel like it"; aren't there laws about unfair clauses in these kinds of contracts.

  5. Corporate dickishness by HangingChad · · Score: 5, Insightful

    AT&T cooperates in wholesale spying on the American public without a warrant, then goes back to Congress and asks for immunity from lawsuits. Now they slip a "no criticize" clause in their user agreement. Reminds me of Microsoft, only worse. When did dickish corporate behavior become the new standard? I must have missed that memo.

    The interesting question is whether corporate behavior is just a more visible mirror of the increasing lack of civility in every day relationships? Because when I think back to times when even corporations still behaved with a modicum of civility and tended to err on the side of the customer, I realized that the general level of decency at all levels of interaction was higher.

    When it comes to AT&T a whole new generation is learning why we broke them up in the first place.

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
  6. The point is not that AT&T is doing this by Infonaut · · Score: 5, Insightful

    .. why give them your money? Stupid is as stupid does

    The bigger picture is that this is yet another one of those corporate slippery slopes.

    • At one time there was a first broadcaster to watermark their logo on every TV show you watch. Now they all do it.
    • Some intrepid lawyer at a credit card company thought it would be a good idea to include terms for binding arbitration in every customer contract. Now they all do it.
    • Once upon a time you could go to a movie theater without being bombarded by fuggin' Pepsi ads. Now they all do it.

    The technique is straightforward. A huge company with vast legal resources will create terms of contract that are annoying, but just a little bit less annoying than the transaction cost of replacing that company with another one. They've annoyed you, but like a frog being boiled in water, you figure you can live with it. Pretty soon all of the company's competitors are doing the same thing, and now you have no other recourse, even if you wanted to go through the time, expense, and hassle of switching.

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  7. Re:If you dont like it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You should probably watch this ( http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2004785759717366066 ) if you think that Ma Bell is still busted up.