Ben Stanfield checks out AOL‘s AIM Terms of Service and discovers that while you may own your words, they are NOT private, and they really don’t belong to you:
“In addition, by posting Content on an AIM Product, you grant AOL, its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, assigns, agents and licensees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide right to reproduce, display, perform, distribute, adapt and promote this Content in any medium. You waive any right to privacy.”
YUCK.
(Via Memex)
Update: Yardley says this is old news and overblown.