A rainy day and with nothing better to do I decided to dive in and read the fine print and privacy policies of all the free Internet providers (yes it is true, I have no life).

The first thing you realize is that they aren't really all that independent. Most seem to purchase, partner, or utilize 1stUp.com as the principle source for the free Internet access. In fact and I quote from the 1stUp.com website; "...over 130 others trust 1stUp.com to create and manage an Internet access offering, in their brand's name". It is probably true that 1stUp.com has even purchased or is leasing the very paid network you switched from.

Now the scary stuff. What happens to all your information? Think about everything you do on the Internet. Speaking for myself, I do my banking, chatting, some shopping and lots of information looking up on everything that interests me including gathering information on health issues. I also write these fabulous epinions :)

So, let's breakdown the Privacy and Acceptable Use Policies on the 1stUp.com website under Free Dial-Up Access:

"You must provide 1stUp.com with accurate, complete, and updated information required by the registration to the Service ("Registration Data"), including your legal name, address, and telephone number. You must notify 1stUp.com within 30 days of any changes in your Registration Data."

^^^--- That doesn't seem too much to ask, even "paid" Internet access requires this.

"You agree, consent, and acknowledge that in exchange for the ability to use the Service, 1stUp.com may gather information (personally identifiable and otherwise) about you, such as data about your use of the Service or responses to questionnaires and surveys, and that 1stUp.com may use this information for any lawful purpose including the sale or disclosure of this information to third parties, including advertisers."

^^^--- The key words here are "personally identifiable". The other scary part is the "sale or disclosure of this information to third parties..."

Basically, without any need for reading between the lines is that everything you do on the net is identified as being you and that any of the information you send through their services is basically up for sale. What I could not find out is who they sell this information to!

"For more detail on 1stUp.Com's information practices, you may consult 1stUp.com's Subscriber Information Policy which can be viewed at www.1stUp.com and is incorporated herein by reference."

The real scary thing here is that they don't even hide the fact they are identifying and selling your personal information in a bunch of legalize gobble-dee-gook.

I would assume that people using free Internet access don't take the 5 minutes required to read this stuff. I believe from what I read here at epinions is that most people think they just have to endure a few ads while they surf.

Do you really believe that these free providers think that you really read those silly ads floating on your desktop!?! They want to know what your doing on the Internet, plain and simple. After all, can you think of any better source of information for diving into the private lives of people than watching what they do on the Internet.

If you are using these free providers I throw the privacy gauntlet at you. Save every web page and record all your chat sessions and e-mails that you gather with your free Internet access this week. Now print all this out and get about 500 copies made. Now go stand outside your home and give this information to everyone that walks by, especially strangers. Seem ridiculous? Well that is what is happening to your information everytime you use a free Internet provider. Oh yes, don't forget to print all your up-to date and accurate information about yourself on every piece of paper. And don't forget to think about your kids.

It's a sad commentary on life that we are willing to give up so much of our personal privacy for so little in return...just my epinion.







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