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Verizon Changes FiOS AUP, -1, Offtopic

RasputinAXP writes "Verizon has changed their FiOS AUP effective yesterday, and added an interesting new clause to their specific examples that we're all familiar with: 'it is a violation of the Agreement and this AUP to ... post off-topic information on message boards, chat rooms or social networking sites.' At this point, every FiOS-based Slashdot user is breaking the new AUP."

63 of 560 comments (clear)

  1. haha that's funny by circletimessquare · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    anyways, guys, i wanted to tell you about this new band i'm listen to. it's called gently liv###

    [NO CARRIER]

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  2. For all you baseball fans by sconeu · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The Red Sox, the Yankees, the Phillies and the Angels are interested in Roy Halladay.

    Anyone have any other baseball related news?

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  3. I'm Not! by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    At this point, every FiOS-based Slashdot user is breaking the new AUP.

    I think I'll be the first one to stay ON TOPIC!!!

    Seriously though - how are they going to enforce this without reading the information I'm sending over the net. Shouldn't that be Illegal?

  4. OMG Im breaking my AUP!! by Golbez81 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I'm going straight to hell!

  5. Who gets to decide the topic? by jeffmeden · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I'm not posting off topic, YOU are posting off topic!

    If I were a Verizon FiOS customer I would change my sig to "That may seem off topic but it isn't." See? These aren't the droids you are looking for, after all.

  6. Cows by InsaneMosquito · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Anyone seen any cows recently? I always love when they go 'Moo'.

  7. Star Destroyer Vs. Borg Cube? by DynamoJoe · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Discuss.

    --
    bah.
  8. guys this is off topic by Saryn · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Let's stay on topic. It's in the AUP.

  9. President Obama to send more troops by runestar · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    So tonight President Obama is going to announce he's sending more troops into Verizon to help quell the fears that this company is too large to fail.

  10. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by oldspewey · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I think the /. admins should hand out 5 mod points to every user immediately, so we can go right ahead and mod every single post in this story offtopic.

    --
    If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
  11. Restraint Of Free Speech by NormAtHome · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    If they actually tried to enforce this wouldn't this just get shot down it court? I was somewhat under the impression that legal agreements i.e. terms of service etc. could not in any way restrict a persons constitutional rights?

    1. Re:Restraint Of Free Speech by JoshuaZ · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      It is more complicated than that. Legal agreements can restrict certain rights that would otherwise be protected. So for example, non-disclosure agreements are legal even though they restrict your speech. However, certain rights cannot be contracted away even by a willing individual. Thus, for example, you can't sell yourself into slavery. IANAL, but these restrictions look like they are within bounds for what can be included in a contract. Remember, stupidity is not necessarily illegal or unconstitutional.

    2. Re:Restraint Of Free Speech by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      You are correct that some rights are inalienable.

      However, such is not the case in this situation. For example:

      I may rent my vehicle to you and state that you are ONLY allowed to use this vehicle to drive yourself to the hospital in a medical emergency. You would not be allowed to drive this vehicle to go vote.

      Or I could sell you a cell phone which only calls 911 or the local police station.

      Simply because I am not permitting you to exercise your right through a service does not automatically imply that I am not permitting you from exercising your right at all.

      --
      Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
    3. Re:Restraint Of Free Speech by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Actually, the moment they change the terms of service, the original contract is NULL and VOID. They changed the terms, now you can re-negotiate the payment.

      Just send them a email saying "I accept the New AUP terms and agree to adjust my payment to $0 immediately for the duration of this change in service level. Receiving this email constitutes acceptance of the new terms by both parties."

      If they can change the terms arbitrarily, then so can you. Make it hurt. Stupid should hurt.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  12. Missing the Point!!!!! by ogar572 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The point is not if Cpt Caveman can make a good burger using moose meat, its whether or not Modern Warfare 2 should be made to be played on my nieces Elmo learning computer while listening to Oingo Boingo. I wish everyone would take time and truly understand what the article is talking about.

  13. Re:Windows ME by Arthur+Grumbine · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    If I had mod points I'm not sure how I would mod you:
    On the one hand, you're on-topic by speaking directly to the off-topic nature of the GP, but then, the real topic of this whole thread is "off-topic", which makes reference to the topic on-off-topic, which is ultimately off-topic, which is the focus of-
    *Head asplodes*

    --
    Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
  14. Sieges Even by Sirusjr · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    So have you guys heard the music of a group called Sieges Even? Great progressive rock, and they say they don't make good music anymore these days.

  15. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by ArhcAngel · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Wait...if being offtopic IS the topic then posting on topic is offtopic as well as posting offtopic. So how does one get modded offtopic when EVERYTHING is on offtopic?

    --
    "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
  16. Re:lol by geekoid · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    A commonly held false belief here at /.

    In fact it does apply to them.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  17. I want me some by geekoid · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    petrified Natalie Portland with hot grits.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  18. So, how about those Saints? by bfwebster · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Kicked New England's butt, they did. ..bruce..

    --
    Bruce F. Webster (brucefwebster.com)
  19. I love sailing by pavera · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Sailing is a really great sport and you guys should all try it! Speaking of which, anyone have a 1990 or newer Hobie Cat 16 for sale? Preferably in the western US?

  20. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by DynamoJoe · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Thunderbolts and Lightning! Very, very Frightening!

    --
    bah.
  21. Re:Windows ME by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Yo, I'm really happy for your experience and Imma let you finish, but Windows 2000 was the greatest Windows OS of all time!

  22. AUP by mugnyte · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Sweet potatoes seem to be the best food ever made. Any way they are prepared, and my mouth is in love from the first taste.

      I'm not sure how I feel about Biofeedback Therapy. It's kinda spooky.

      When will they upgrade these tired outdated office phones? Given that so few people use them any more, perhaps we'll just unplug them and never notice.

  23. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by locallyunscene · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I couldn't have said it better myself.

  24. Re:lol by PPH · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The Constitution doesn't apply to Verizon. Its a private entity*.

    What might apply are the Safe Harbor provisions of the DMCA. If Verizon exercises editorial control over their customers' traffic, they might lose that, exposing them to the liability of their customers' actions. Think 'Deep Pockets'.

    * Why corporations are exempt from provisions of the Constitution is a good question. As they are creations of the State, what rights do the States (or Feds) have to create entities that are not bound by the laws they themselves are bound by? But that's a subject for another discussion and being off-topic here, I run the risk of %^^^@@^^^@&& [NO CARRIER]

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  25. Re:Have you guys ever... by LoSt180 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Ham? Isn't bacon made from ham? I love bacon.

  26. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by oldspewey · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    And she's buying the stairway to heaven.

    --
    If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
  27. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by R2.0 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  28. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by NoYob · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    My doctor said if I stopped picking my nose, it wouldn't bleed so much.

    --
    It's NOT me! It's the meds! I'm on 1000mg of Fukitol.
  29. Re:Why they may have done so by Firehed · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    It's none of Verizon's business to enforce usage policies of individual sites. Especially since they don't KNOW the usage policies of individual sites.

    If this is limited to Verizon's own support forums, fine.

    --
    How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
  30. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by Zixaphir · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Why, simple, my good Watson! By... OOOOOOO PEANUTS!!!!!!!!

    --
    "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds"
  31. Re:To all of you offtopiccers! by snspdaarf · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Why? Are you in one of these places?

    [it is a violation of the Agreement and this AUP to]use the Service in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria

    --
    Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!
  32. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by ae1294 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Adolf Hitler: psychopathic monster or just misunderstood?

    Mostly misunderstood... He just wanted to reduce toxic CO2 production via the creative use of War and Genocide...

  33. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by barkingcorndog · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I agree. The whole Coke vs. Pepsi thing is way overblown. Gravy wins.

    --
    "I know together we'll make the possible totally impossible" - Homme
  34. Re:To all of you offtopiccers! by oldspewey · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Shit, and I was planning on subscribing to Verizon FIOS here in Pyongyang.

    That AUP clause totally foils my plans

    --
    If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
  35. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by Thinboy00 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Parent: Godwin's law or Quirk's exception?

    Discuss.

    --
    $ make available
  36. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by windex82 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    What the hell mods, +5 funny, this is defentily off topic.

    The Modern Warfare article is this way. ;)

  37. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by fluch · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    And why does the ABOVE reply get modded offtopic whereas all the other offtopic replies get modded interesting, insigtful and funny? If something is offtopic in this thread, then it is my post now! ;-)

  38. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by halfEvilTech · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I would like to think of something off topic but my waffles are burning

    NOOOOOOOOOOO!! RIP Waffles

  39. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by greenarj · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    You will melt faces as a shadow priest in PvP.

  40. Re:Making everyone a criminal is convenient by BobMcD · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    This is not a criminal matter, not in the least. Why do people insist on blurring that line?

    Verizon cuts you off and you need to find a new ISP. If you're unable to do so, you might even have some kind of recourse.

    If law enforcement 'cuts you off', you're in prison and finding an ISP is subsequently less important than keeping track of your bar of soap. Not to mention that any shot at the life of an ordinary citizen is completely forfeit.

  41. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by Lord+Lode · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    No, blue please. With sparkles. Because I came with my bike. Thank you!

  42. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by spidercoz · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    wow, you mods are really on the ball today...

    do any of you dumbshit mods even RTFS before you start in, or are you just like "Ooooooooo, Mod Points!" as soon as the page loads?

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Evelyn Beatrice Hall, re Voltaire
  43. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by loonicks · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    $ sudo yum install potato-pancakes
    yum: okay!

  44. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by spidercoz · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    no no, none of the posts in this thread should be offtopic, that's the point

    welcome to slashdot, where irony, humor, and common sense collide and explode in a rain of...hey, where'd my sandwich go?

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Evelyn Beatrice Hall, re Voltaire
  45. Why is nothing here modded +5 offtopic? by FlyingBishop · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    You see that sort of thing entirely too rarely.

  46. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by sopssa · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    so what did you guys do today?

  47. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by element-o.p. · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    tuber == root? Is that what the "toor" entry in my /etc/passwd file means? It's just a 1337 spelling for "tuber"?

    --
    MCSE? No, sir...I don't do Windows. Yes, I am an idealist. What's your point?
  48. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by Ransak · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Play him off, Keyboard Cat.

    dum dum dum dum da dum dumm...

    --
    "Powers. I have them."
  49. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  50. Re:Forget (e) offtopic, how about (b)? by bughunter · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Obviously, it's not likely they will enforce the AUP in an egregiously Draconian manner, but I for one would prefer having the outlandish bits *implied* rather than expressly stated.

    They don't want it implied. They want it explicit. Because, they want to eliminate their liability.

    Verizon doesn't intend to monitor your internet habits and cut you off if you regale us with stories of hot grits and Natalie Portman. But what they do intend to do is threaten you with disconnection anytime someone complains to them about your behavior. If someone complains to them that you didn't play nice on the internet, they are explicitly reserving the right to terminate your service by specifically including provisions that give them the legal right to disconnect you for anything they can anticipate will evoke complaints. If they receive a complaint that you posted a loldog to a lolcats thread -BOOM- they can d/c you for viloation of the AUP, and don't have to worry about paying a lawyer to defend such heavyhandedness. You have no grounds to litigate -- you violated their AUP.

    In other words, it's there to allow them to protect themselves from third parties, not to actively regulate your behavior as a subscriber.

    --
    I can see the fnords!
  51. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by Toze · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    so i herd u liek mudkips

    --
    No OS on the planet can protect itself from a user with the admin password. - Yvan256
  52. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by MistrBlank · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Preston and Steve FTW

  53. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by AK+Dave · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Just the one buttock?

    Thats so half-assed!

  54. Looks like typical anti-spam/spoof/harass overkill by billstewart · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    While it looks like too many lawyers and non-lawyers were copying other services' AUPs, it looks like what they're really trying to do is give themselves leverage to drop you if you engage in activities that get them hit with too many complaints. That's not the same as saying that they'll go trying to police your postings (yeah, like that would make financial sense), but they want to be able to kill spammers, blog-comment-spammers, and anybody else that causes them trouble.

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
  55. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by Sechr+Nibw · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    For Pony!

  56. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by skuzzlebutt · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    do you have battletoads?

    --
    My debut novel AMITY now available: http://jeremydbrooks.c
  57. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by Michael+O-P · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I like black licorice.

    --
    I'm Peggy.
  58. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Depends who's got the arm...

    --
    You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
  59. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Ironically, this funny mod will probably be the final ignominy that drives the parent over the edge.

    --
    May the Maths Be with you!
  60. Re:My first hand experience on Modern Warfare 2 by azav · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Whatever happened to the PONIES?!

    --
    - Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...