AT&T changes Terms of Service -- "Freedom of expression is a foundation of a free society"

AT&T has revised its terms of service, removing the section where the company reserves the right to disconnect you for criticizing them ("conduct that...tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries").

Last month, AT&T faced widespread criticism over the clause in their Terms of Service; subsequently, the company tried to mollify critics by promising that they'd never exercise this clause. Many of us were skeptical and challenged the company to put this promise in writing by revising the Terms.

Now they have, and they have included a good statement on freedom of expression (I wish they'd kept this in mind when they were illegally wiretapping the entire Internet for the NSA).

5.1 Suspension/Termination. AT&T respects freedom of expression and believes it is a foundation of our free society to express differing points of view. AT&T will not terminate, disconnect or suspend service because of the views you or we express on public policy matters, political issues or political campaigns. However, AT&T may immediately terminate or suspend all or a portion of your Service, any Member ID, electronic mail address, IP address, Universal Resource Locator or domain name used by you, without notice, for conduct that AT&T believes (a) violates the Acceptable Use Policy; or (b) constitutes a violation of any law, regulation or tariff (including, without limitation, copyright and intellectual property laws) or a violation of these TOS, or any applicable policies or guidelines. Your Service may be suspended or terminated if your payment is past due and such condition continues un-remedied for thirty (30) days. Termination or suspension by AT&T of Service also constitutes termination or suspension (as applicable) of your license to use any Software. AT&T may also terminate or suspend your Service if you provide false or inaccurate information that is required for the provision of Service or is necessary to allow AT&T to bill you for Service.

(Thanks, Brad)

See also:
New AT&T terms of service: We'll cut off your Internet connection for criticizing us
AT&T snowjob: We won't cut you off for criticizing us, but we won't put it in writing

• [undergroundbastard]

  There are other potential grounds for concern in this as well:

  1) What is the Acceptable Use Policy? Lazy bastard and fervent non-AT&T user that I am, I haven’t checked it out, but it could nonetheless hide worrisome provisions.

  2) Violation of “ny applicable policies or guidelines” seems like a large enough loophole to strangle democracy with.

• [Kenny F]

  So the new terms say: “AT&T will not terminate, disconnect or suspend service because of the views you or we express on public policy matters, political issues or political campaigns.”

  Public policy matters?, political issues?, political campaigns…? These are not “conduct that…tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries”

  The new language doesn’t seem to change the fact that I can’t ever say anything “bad” about AT&T as a business.

• [pdxmph]

  For what it’s worth, because nobody ever answered poster #2, the AUP says:

  “Customer is prohibited from engaging in any other activity, whether legal or not, that AT&T determines in its sole discretion, to be harmful to its subscribers, operations, network(s). This includes any behavior deemed unacceptable by other ISPs, behavior which is in violation of generally acceptable practices or which causes AT&T or the AT&T IP Services to be viewed unfavorably by others.“