7# k  . @ @ @ @ J T T( |x @  9* c  9 * 9 9 c 9 9 9 9 9 9Artist/Author/Producer: America Online members Confronting Bodies: America Online/members of AOL Location: North America Exact Location: USA Medium: Public Speech Comments: Members of America Online are subject to having posts pulled for violating "Terms of Service." The TOS are vaguesly worded, and simply instruct members not to use vulgar or insulting language or to talk explicitly about sex.Forum hosts are responsible for reading member posts and pulling posts that violate TOS. However, when members request access to some standardized list of terms and content that could help them avoid violating TOS, they are met with a puzzling repetition of the vaguely worded TOS guidelines. If such a list exists, hosts are apparently not allowed to acknowledge its existence or distribute it; if not, member posts are subject to the individual whims of forum hosts. Furthermore, hosts inform members that "you agreed to TOS when you signed onto America Online," when in fact there may be no legal basis for making such a statement (at no point upon signing onto AOL does a member receive an explicit description of what counts as a TOS violation, and whether or not an electronic assent counts as a binding contract seems to be under some contestation.) Members have reacted by inventing euphemisms only to have them pulled for content, protesting directly to forum hosts only to be met with the rote repetition of TOS guidelines, and leaving AOL. Organized activity has been sporadic and thus far unsuccessful in getting AOL to state clearly the boundaries within which members are required to operate, or to present them witha specific contract. Source: Personal First name: Last name: Address: City: State: Zip: Country: Postal Code: Phone: Fax: E-mail: u * @ /0bc{|{|! !   !3339"9:0:XHH(FG(HH(d'@=/RBH -:LaserWriter New York((