October 1, 2007 2:56 PM

Your World, Delivered...Unless You Criticize Us.

In yet another example of stunning repression of free speech, AT&T has recently introduced new "Terms of Service" for its high-speed internet (HSI) customers.

Check out point 5.1, where it says that..."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...tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries."

They don't even have to show damage...they just have to "believe" that your "conduct" (unspecified as to where, when or how -- but I'm pretty sure this type of thing would qualify) "tends" to "damage" the name of any piece of AT&T's mega-corporation...and your email, your website, and your access to the internet can all deleted, without their even notifying you. (Hope you kept backups!)

This comes on top of AT&T's recent censoring of anti-Bush messages out of a Pearl Jam concert, and Verizon's decision (later reversed under heavy public pressure) to block text messages from NARAL Pro-Choice America. (Verizon's policy on terminating your account isn't much better; they can cut you off "without prior notice and for any reason or no reason.")

Is anyone else getting a really creepy feeling that these big companies are trying to monitor what we say, do, and send to our friends over the internet? If they were cooperating with secretive agencies in our government, I'd point out that the squelching of dissent under a union of corporate and government power is one of the first big steps towards fascism. Oh, wait, you mean that's already happened?

All the more reason to fight for net neutrality, tell Congress not to give the telcos blanket immunity from spying lawsuits, and to hit AT&T or Verizon where it hurts, in the pocketbook, by switching to Working Assets.