Greetings. On the continuing subject of powerful telecom-related companies getting full of themselves, some sites are abuzz over what is apparently AT&T Bellsouth's new Internet Terms of Service (I haven't found an exact date associated with it yet).

Buried in the usual gobbledegook is this gem in paragraph 5.1:

Your Service may be suspended or terminated ... for conduct that AT&T believes ... tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries.

Now, no doubt AT&T would claim that this only applies to extraordinary circumstances, like maybe an international drug ring claiming to be an AT&T affiliate on an AT&T-hosted Web site or some such. But golly, the ToS doesn't seem to offer any limitations in this respect, so apparently the trusting customer must rely on AT&T's always equanimous behavior and good judgment (just ask DOJ!)

Just to be safe, perhaps it might be best if we all stopped being so critical of AT&T, and the other companies. You never know when something might happ_kEE)#@_QQ_Q_Qdkkd_eDD00@@

--Lauren--

Update (October 2, 2007): As I suggested above would be the case, AT&T has now issued a clarification claiming that they only would terminate users under this portion of the ToS in special circumstances -- like sites "advocating violence" for example. However, we're still left with the vague statement in the ToS, and AT&T calling the shots about what actions would actually trigger that clause -- "Trust Us" ...