Here’s one for the “downright scary” file, from a post on Slashdot.
“On Tuesday, the USPTO granted Microsoft a patent for Privacy policy change notification, which describes how to threaten users will the loss of their account, access to web sites and services, and all of the content they provided should they refuse to consent to changes in privacy policy to allow personal information collected earlier with a promise of confidentiality to be shared in the future with third parties.”
The posting includes a picture of Fig. 7D in the filing which blatently states:
“Privacy policy change rejectedYou have rejected the revised privacy statement. Your account will be closed on July 32, 2003.”
It then goes on to say that all data will be deleted, other people will be able to grab you i.d. and so on.
The Slashdot submitter, theodp, wisecracks: “Maybe you shouldn’t get too attached to those new Windows Live services.” He also points out that the technology includes a “never notify me” option, so that users can give Microsoft a blank check to do what it will with privacy information, without pestering their customers with pesky details like informing them.
