It’s a good think I chose Comcast’s oligopoly service for broadband internet service and not AT&T (my two easy choices for real broadband). That’s because I tend to point out that our government is becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. And AT&T just changed its acceptable use policy to prevent you from using AT&T’s Toobz to tell others about the bad things AT&T is doing (via boing boing).
Failure to observe the guidelines set forth in this AUP may result inAT&T taking actions anywhere from a warning to a suspension ofprivileges or termination of your Service(s). When feasible, AT&Tmay provide you with notice of an AUP violation, via Email orotherwise, and demand that such violation be immediately corrected.AT&T reserves the right, however, to act immediately and withoutnotice to suspend or terminate Service(s) in response to a court orderor other legal requirement that certain conduct be stopped or whenAT&T determines, in its sole discretion, that the conduct may (1)expose AT&T to sanctions, prosecution or civil action, (2) causeharm to or interfere with the integrity or normal operations ofAT&T’s network(s) or facilities, (3) materially or repeatedlyinterfere with another person’s use of AT&T’s Service(s) or theInternet (4) damage or disparage the reputation of AT&T or itsService(s), or (5) otherwise present a risk of harm to AT&T orAT&T’s customers , employees, officers, directors, or agents.
[snip]
You are prohibited from engaging in any other activity, illegal ornot, that AT&T determines in its sole discretion, to be harmful toits subscribers, operations, network(s), reputation, goodwill, orcustomer relations.
This telecommunications thing is really heading to a really nice place, where we can’t use the Toobz to discuss how the Toobz are being used to watch over what we do and say. But I guess we should have anticipated that.