Verizon FiOS to police off-topic postings?

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Gene Gaines <gene.gaines () gainesgroup com>
> Date: December 1, 2009 6:09:49 PM EST
> To: dave <dave () farber net>
> Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
> Subject: Re: [IP] Verizon FiOS to police off-topic postings?

> Dave, Lauren,    You are just being silly.
>
> Why would you worry about Verizon FIOS policing off-topic posts?
>
> I would be more worried that Verizon enjoys the right to censor,  
> suspend or cut your access to the Internet for any reason they choose.
>
> I will quote from Verizon's Terms of Service and Acceptable Use  
> Policy:
>
> If you use Verizon Internet access services, then you have agreed to:
>
> (From the Verizon web site www.verison.net)
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
>
> 1.  General Policy: Verizon reserves the sole discretion to deny or  
> restrict your Service, or immediately to suspend or terminate your  
> Service, if the use of your Service by you or anyone using it, in  
> our sole discretion, violates the Agreement or other Verizon  
> policies, is objectionable or unlawful, interferes with the  
> functioning or use of the Internet or the Verizon network by Verizon  
> or other users, or violates the terms of this Acceptable Use Policy  
> ("AUP").
>
> So, to recap the above, the user had agreed to:
>
>  Verizon reserves the sole discretion to deny or restrict your  
> Service ... suspend or terminate your Service, if the use of your  
> Service ... in our sole discretion, violates the Agreement or other  
> Verizon policies, is objectionable or unlawful.
> ...
>
> This raises the question as to the definition of "Service".  Here it  
> is.
>
> VERIZON ONLINE TERMS OF SERVICE
> ...
> 2.2. "Service" means all Verizon dial-up, Broadband Service and Wi- 
> Fi wireless Internet access services (where applicable), Software,  
> Equipment, Content, Additional Services as defined in Attachment B,  
> technical support, email, domain name server ("DNS") and related  
> services, Verizon Web Sites and other products and services provided  
> by Verizon under the pricing plan applicable to your Service. The  
> Service does not include voice telephony services.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> (end quote from Verizon.)
>
> Whew!
>
> Gene Gaines
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 5:17 PM, Dave Farber <dave () farber net> wrote:
> If this is accurate, it is outragious. djf
>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> > From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
> > Date: December 1, 2009 3:34:38 PM EST
> > To: nnsquad () nnsquad org
> > Subject: [ NNSquad ]  Verizon FiOS to police off-topic postings?
>
> > Verizon FiOS to police off-topic postings?
> >
> > Slashdot notes an "interesting" (indeed!) change made yesterday to  
> > the
> > FiOS Acceptable Use Policy, prohibiting "post[ing] off-topic
> > information on message boards, chat rooms or social networking  
> > sites."
> >
> > Say what?  Is this a case of a Verizon lawyer with too much time on
> > his or her hands?  Or does Verizon now intend to police, prosecute,
> > terminate, or otherwise flog and punish users for "irrelevance" in
> > postings that users make on sites completely unaffiliated with
> > Verizon?
> >
> > Verizon appears to have elevated simple "off-topic" postings  
> > (whatever
> > that really means!) to the same level as DDoS attacks, Trojans, spam,
> > and libel.
> >
> > Exactly who is going to determine which "offenders" rise to a level
> > suitable for Verizon to slam down the AUP hammer?  Or maybe it's
> > really an excuse to provide a new conduit for providing users' IP
> > address information to sites that are upset about particular  
> > postings?
> >
> > ISPs should be delivering bits, not playing "off-topic" content cop
> > enforcers.
> >
> > http://bit.ly/6LScLw  (Slashdot)
> >
> > --Lauren--
> > NNSquad Moderator
> Archives        



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