AOL is scanning INSIDE your emails, blocking any with "unapproved" content

The LangaList ^ | March 22, 2004 | Fred Langa

[Brytani]

If they do bill you, immediately write a letter to their billing dispute address and send it registered, return, receipt requested. Site your two other letters (dates sent etc) and tell them to immediately remove the charge and close the account. Next move, send a complaint to the FCC.

Years back, DH and I did an AOL free trial and cancelled within the allowed time. Not only did AOL refuse to close the account, they billed us for the service and when we disputed the charges and refused to pay, they sent the "bill" to a collection agency who put it on our credit report.

Talk about a REAL pain in the rear end getting that taken off and fixed.

Learned my lesson quick on billing problems, I don't play games. Our credit is way to important to let some company ruin it.

[Damagro]

send an email to yourself using the link and see if it's true. I have compuserve, which is aol and the email went through just fine

[farfromhome]

AOL is evil. Like Hotel California "You can log off anytime you want, but you can never leave." My opinion, you are much better off using a local ISP. More responsive, often cheaper and the money you spend stays in your community. When traveling, Internet kiosks and cafes are handy to do a quick email.

[Mears]

Thanks to both of you for your most helpful suggestions.

I guess it's a real case of "buyer beware"

[madison10]

AOL is like bloodsucking leech. Why people use it baffles me.

This is bizarre, Mr. Langa is practically my neighbor. Didn't even know his company existed.

[RegT]

Also Remember: AOL Time-Warner = CNN, Time, People Mag, SI, etc. A big Democrat party donor, too.

[taxcontrol]

Simple solution - don't use AOL

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Now, they won't believe me when I say I want to cancel it.

Cancel your credit card instead.

Checkmate.

Just replace it with one of the preaprroved ones you get in the mail every week.

[Stoat]

Madison,
Fred Langa is a near-legend in the computer / tech community. For years he edited Byte Magazine, one of the most influential and respected computer magazines ever.
His free newsletter always contains useful tidbits that are relevant regardless of your level of computer familiarity....highly recommended.

A gentle reminder to readers who may have only read the title or first few lines of the posted articles here...this is not about scanning for viruses or merely blocking spams in the usual way that everyone is accustomed to....this is about scanning the WRITTEN TEXT of the inside of messages for URL's that AOL doesn't like....the URL's that were blocked as documented in Fred Langa's article were either completely innocuous or they linked to sites that had been critical of AOL. Scanning within emails in this manner is unprecedented for an ISP.

Everybody who has more than a passing understanding of computers and the internet knows that AOL is a lousy ISP...that is not what this is all about. This is about AOL taking a step that hasn't been taken before...scanning the CONTENT of your mails, not just the addresses, attachments or headers. This is another step toward Big Brotherism....AOL would be right at home in North Korea (If NK allowed it's citizens to have internet access)

[Alia]

Thank you. This has already happened to several emails I sent out --only those with AOL were "censored". It was an url -- containing material not in synch with Europe's position on WOT.

[PLMerite]

I cancelled my AOL account right before my credit card's "valid thru" date. AOL kept billing me until they got refused and then terminated my account (after calling me endless times trying to get me to re-up). They finally sent me a letter saying I owed them a final month's fee and asking for my new credit card expiration date.

I sent them a money order.

[Overtaxed]

I put up with one charge showing on my credit card after I called to cancel.

I canceled that card and got a new one. Guess I missed out...AOL didn't send me a letter. :)

[mountaineer]

Thanks to all of you for your advice in dealing with AOL's refusal to close our "free trial" account. I plan to call them again (this time, I'll try not to slam down the receiver when they start to annoy me!) and will call my credit card company to warn them that an unauthorized charge may be coming. If all that fails, I'll do some of the other things you all recommended.

The thing is, we just signed up with AOL so we could use a borrowed laptop on our Miami vacation. We have no problem with the internet provider at our home, except that - because it's part of state govt., which employs my husband - there's no out-of-state number to dialup when traveling.

It's really disgusting, and what's funny is that when you call AOL, they seem so shocked that anyone would want to terminate service with them.

[js1138]

MSN deletes email with suspicious attachments. One such suspicious attachment is anything with an htm or html extension.

Delta airlines sends its etickets in html format, so they never arrive for MSN customers.

But MSN isn't alone. Many providers are scanning email.

[Brytani]

Please PLEASE do yourself a favor (to avoid problems in the future) and follow up your call with a letter mails Return, Receipt, Requested.

You have federal laws that protect you from AOL through the Fair Debt Collection Act. A person is only protected from a disputed billing if they put it in writing.

A bit of hassle and $5 will avoid further problems if AOL once again fails to act.

Good Luck!!!!

[JoeFromSidney]

When traveling, Internet kiosks and cafes are handy to do a quick email.

My local ISP has a deal with iPass. I can log on to iPass almost anyplace in the country, and quite a few places overseas, and it's just like using my local ISP. iPass charges $3/hour for that service, and I pay for only the time I actually use. Check to see if your local ISP offers the same deal.