toggle

AAPL Stock: 441.35 ( + 1.69 )

http://www.macnn.com/articles/02/05/17/msn.quietly/

MSN quietly modifies default user prefs

updated 03:55 pm EDT, Fri May 17, 2002

 
", 0, 0);


Some Hotmail users report that the Microsoft Network recently changed the default Personal Profile to allow Microsoft to share the respective email address -- at the company's discretion -- with other organizations and advertisers. Microsoft makes no note of the change, although it comes after other upgrades to the popular service. The Eastside Journal notes that the change is not limited to new subscribers, but affects current users as well. Marketing chief of Canadian Internet service provider Rogers Communications calls the move "outrageous."


by MacNN Staff

Post tools:

TAGS :

 audio
toggle

Comments

  1. sebastien

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Apr 2000

    0

    funny...

    how the chief of Rogers calls this outrageous while they've put an unannounced increase of $5/month on their subscriber's bills for their high-speed internet service.

    He's a total hypocrite if you ask me.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2001

    0

    Apple's next

    Watch.

  1. asterizk

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2001

    0

    Brutal

    What a brutal violation of privacy! That's too much. I don't even want to read what the folks at Slashdot have to say. It would take so long to read!

    And I don't think Apple's headed this way. Their marketshare is too small to s**** consumers this way.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2001

    0

    yahoo

    yahoo did the same exact thing a couple of months ago. No big deal, just uncheck the relevent boxes and it will be what it was as before.

  1. Sprocket

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2002

    0

    Pot calling the kettle...

    Whoa!! Jump back!!
    Ted Rogers/Bill Gates....same ambitions, same ethics, same guy(!) Doesn't Rogers look like hypocrites??!! Sad, oh so very sad...watching how Rogers treats its clients, one starts to think they are manytimes fold WORSE than the Redmond Crew.

    - Sprocket/Toronto, Canada

  1. abrody

    Junior Member

    Joined: Mar 1999

    0

    Not long ago Yahoo

    did the same thing. Let's hope Apple doesn't divulge our Mac.com address. Otherwise...

  1. MacNN.com Reader

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2001

    0

    Re: yahoo

    Yep, same deal. Yahoo did eventually send out e-mails to its users informing them of the changes, but only about a week after their initial "auto opt-in" switchover. Apparently some users got the notices even later. Hopefully Microsoft will do the same; it's the only ethical thing to do at this point (of course, the ethical thing to do from the get-go would be to inform users *before* it happens). The other funny thing is that you have to sign up for a free .NET account in order to change your privacy preferences. :)

    Of course, these are all free services, so if you don't like it, you don't have to use it (normally, I would suggest switching to Yahoo Mail, but obviously Yahoo has already pulled the same c***). But the cost of the service is immaterial, although taking your business elsewhere is usually more effective when money is involved. I think the real issue here is protection of personal information; a company promises one thing, then suddenly changes their policy without telling you in advance. Bait-n-switch, anyone?

  1. MacNN.com Reader

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2001

    0

    Re: yahoo, again

    Actually, now that I think about it, AOL also did an "auto opt-in" scam a few years ago. It was all over the evening news, warning AOL users to go to keyword: My AOL and edit their privacy preferences. Otherwise, AOL would sell your name and phone number to telemarketers (yes, there was actually an option for "Allow our third party affiliates to contact me by phone"), junk mailers, and spambots. What c***. Doesn't AOL have enough money already? Maybe they could put some of that money into a new non-beta OS X client.

  1. djtrip

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2002

    0

    Rogers is the worst!

    Rogers is one of the worst providers in Canada. I've been using them for a couple of years now my rogers email is up and down all the time (I've never had problems with my Mac.com address going down) and the Internet goes down at least once a week. The recent rate increase of $5 really ticked me off but the fact that they feel they can make comments about other comapnies policies is the icing on the cake. Perhapes they should get their own service working flawlessly before they start mouthing off about other people services.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2001

    0

    Rogers

    is a disgusting outfit. While I agree with the comment, its funny how its coming from a company that is as bad as Microsoft.

Login Here

Not a member of the MacNN forums? Register now for free.

 
close
Photo
toggle

Network Headlines

toggle

Most Popular

MacNN Sponsor

Recent Reviews

MaxUpgrades MaxConnect for 2006-2008 Mac Pro

Nobody outside of Cupertino's privileged bunch knows the future of the Mac Pro line for sure. Despite Apple's reluctance to tell us wh ...

Brother HL-3170CDW LED Printer

We've mentioned before that we are far from a paperless society. For now, at least, there are tasks that require a piece of paper for ...

HTC One

It is hard to overstate just how critically important the HTC One is to the Taiwanese company’s fortunes. Despite its alarming decline ...

toggle

Most Commented