Tip #4671 - AIM Privacy
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Q:
I use AIM quite a bit to talk to my family and friends, but lately,
I've been worrying more and more about my privacy. Are my instant
message conversations kept private or am I putting myself at risk?
Please explain!
A:
Oh, I'm
so glad you asked! I know a lot of WorldStart's readers use AIM (AOL's
instant messaging program) and some of you may even use other IM programs,
such as Yahoo! or ICQ, as well. All of those programs are free of
charge, which groups them all into the same category. The topic of
privacy when using chat programs was never really an issue until recently,
which is why I'm so glad you brought this up. It's something I probably
should have covered a long time ago, but hopefully I'll make up for
lost time today. Let's check this one out!
For
the most part today, I'm going to focus on AIM, because it's more
widely used and well known. Awhile back, this statement was discovered
in AOL's terms of service: "AOL has the right to read, and even
publish publicly, your private IM conversations." It then goes
on to say, "You waive any right to privacy." So, what does
all that mean exactly? Well, it basically means that when you decide
to use the AIM chat program, AOL has the right to use any of your
conversations as they see fit at any time. That's a bit scary, don't
you think?!
Now, whether or
not AOL publishes your conversation obviously depends on the content
of your discussion. If you're just chatting with a friend about what
time you're going to go to the movies on Saturday night, they're not
going to make that public knowledge. Or, if you're just talking to
your daughter about what you're going to get your grandson for his
birthday, they're not going to share that information with the world.
On the other hand, if you're using AIM for business purposes, that
could be a whole different story.
If you're using
AIM to discuss private business matters, AOL could easily publish
your conversation for the entire online world to see. And it doesn't
take a rocket scientist to figure out that could put you and your
company at great risk. So, if you're ever going to discuss something
you don't want anyone else to know about, don't use a free instant
messaging program like AIM. For that kind of thing, you'll want to
use a secure business class IM solution or simply use your company
e-mail account. That way, you won't take the chance of your private
information being leaked out all over the Web.
Yes, all of this
does seem a bit unfair, but AOL has to do what they have to do. They're
allowed to create their own privacy policy with their own terms, so
you should always keep that in mind and abide by it. You need to take
the right steps to keep yourself safe as well. This is just something
to think about. I hope I've opened your eyes to a whole new side of
the IM community. Take it for what it's worth!
~ Erin
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