Dutch ISP Sets Legal Precedent for Consumer Privacy on the Internet.AMSTERDAM, Holland & MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 1999-- Leading Dutch Internet Service Provider Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. XS4ALL XS4ALL Access for All (ISP) scored a major legal victory for consumer privacy after an Amsterdam court upheld its right to publicize, in a controversial advertising campaign, the privacy policies of Hotmail and several free Dutch ISPs. The court also allowed the counterclaim A claim by a defendant opposing the claim of the plaintiff and seeking some relief from the plaintiff for the defendant. A counterclaim contains assertions that the defendant could have made by starting a lawsuit if the plaintiff had not already begun the action. of XS4ALL, finding that ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. Wanadoo should immediately discontinue advertising in which it guarantees that customers' details are not used by third parties, as Wanadoo is unable to support that claim. (For excerpts from the decision see: http://www.xs4all.nl/announce/uitspraak2dec99_e.html). In the controversial ad campaign, XS4ALL posters quote the terms of several free Internet providers as well as Hotmail, the free Web-based email Web-based email or webmail is a term referring to an e-mail service intended to be primarily accessed via a web browser, as opposed to through an application such as Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, Mozilla's Thunderbird or Apple's Mail. service, which state that they can sell customer information to third parties. "Ultimately everything has its price," say the XS4ALL posters, which can be viewed at http://www.xs4all.nl/campagne. XS4ALL was sued by two free Dutch ISPs, Wanadoo and NokNok, as a result of its poster campaign. "The judge's verdict implies that Internet users should be informed clearly and precisely what the service provider intends to do with their data before signing up. Hiding this information, or vaguely describing it, is clearly condemned in the legal decision," said XS4ALL spokesperson Sjoera Nas. "Internet privacy Internet privacy consists of privacy over the media of the Internet: the ability to control what information one reveals about oneself over the Internet, and to control who can access that information. in the Netherlands is now taken very seriously." In response to worldwide Internet privacy concerns, XS4ALL has partnered with Zero-Knowledge Systems (http://www.zeroknowledge.com) to offer its customers total Internet privacy. XS4ALL is one of 140 partners in the Freedom Network, a globally distributed network of servers hosted by ISPs and independent server operators in partnership with Zero-Knowledge. In addition to hosting a Freedom Server, XS4ALL is offering the new Freedom(TM) software to its 70,000 users through a special promotion, inviting each user to download the software for an extended evaluation period Evaluation period The time interval over which funds assess a money manager's performance. . "XS4ALL is proving to consumers that even free Internet service An ISP that provides access to the Internet without charge to the user. The service is supported by advertising which appears on a special version of the user's browser and cannot be eliminated. NetZero (www.netzero. has a cost--often, the wholesale invasion of your privacy. The more consumers understand this, the more they will look for ways to control who gets access to their personal information," said Jordan Socran, Director of Internet Partnerships for Zero-Knowledge Systems. "This case sets an important precedent and shows that despite posting terms-of-service and privacy policies, many ISPs do not want their customers to know their personal data is being collected and sold. If every site put the fine print of their privacy policies front and center, most Netizens would be shocked at what they're agreeing to." About XS4ALL: XS4ALL (http://www.xs4all.nl/), founded in 1993 as the first Internet provider catering to the Dutch consumer market, is the third-largest paid Internet Service Provider in the Netherlands, in both the consumer and business markets. Well-known for its technical quality and privacy protection, XS4ALL won a landmark legal decision against the state in 1998 concerning a request to wiretap wiretap n. using an electronic device to listen in on telephone lines, which is illegal unless allowed by court order based upon a showing by law enforcement of "probable cause" to believe the communications are part of criminal activities. an Internet user. All shares of XS4ALL were sold to KPN KPN Koninklijke PTT Nederland (Royal Dutch Telecom) KPN Konfederacja Polski Niepodleglej (Polish conservative party) Telecom in December 1998, under the unique provision that XS4ALL maintains full independence for a period of at least 3 years. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a recently-published test in Net Magazine, XS4ALL is the fastest of the 15 free and paid Internet dial-up providers tested. About Zero-Knowledge Systems: Founded in 1997, Zero-Knowledge Systems (http://www.zeroknowledge.com) is the first and only company providing a total privacy solution for all Internet activities. Zero-Knowledge's Freedom(TM) empowers users to browse Internet sites, chat, participate in online discussions, and send email while maintaining total control of their personal information. The complete package, including five digital identities called pseudonyms This article gives a list of pseudonyms, in various categories. Pseudonyms are similar to, but distinct from, secret identities. Artists, sculptors, architects
Consumers wishing to download Zero-Knowledge's Freedom privacy technology can visit http://www.freedom.net. Journalists can visit the Zero-Knowledge pressroom at http://www.zeroknowledge.com/pressroom. (Zero-Knowledge Systems and Freedom are trademarks of Zero-Knowledge Systems, Inc. All other names are the property of their respective owners.) |
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