Existing users, 
...the reviewer below points out a fragment of the agreement : article 4 "Permission to utilize Your computer". Now what might they use my "processor and bandwidth" for??? They mention the "limited purpose of communicating with other skype users" but isn't that a given?? I don't see a provision like that in - say - browser's agreements (although I obviously agree that Safari "utilizes my computer for the limited purpose of showing me internet pages").
Might it be that "communicating with other skype users" means "spamming them with ads" in the near future?
I like skype but I think I need an explanation here.
PS: If I would be paranoid (which I am not) I would ask if it is possible to listen to conversations in my house through skype. After all it is online most of the time while I'm doing other work. But then, we are not paranoid, or are we?
Skype
Make and receive phone calls and hold cross-platform Webcam chats.
Version: 2.8.0.722
Indeed, strange...
Feedback Type: Commentary
Contributed by: Zoozo Tuesday, March 15 2005 @ 08:03 AM PST
Product Platform: MacOSX
Used Product For: 1-6 months
Recommend Product: YES
Comments
Indeed, strange... - Adreitz
What they mean is that your computer may be used to retransmit *other* people's voice chats or IMs. Skype is peer-to-peer, and two computers that are both behind firewalls cannot make a direct connection to each other. They both need to make a direct connection to a third computer (that is, yours) which is not behind a firewall to communicate with each other.Tuesday, March 15 2005 @ 11:04 AM PST
Indeed, strange... - Swift
Well, I read the agreement, and I think you're being paranoid. A two-way telephony application has to use your processor for someone else's voice. You can transfer files. Maybe video. It has to make your data available to a caller. The upside is, you You can control it, however. Ban all calls outside your calling list.There are no ads now, but I guess there might be. Well, you can cancel the subscription.
But think of it: for 30 Euros, you can buy SkypeIn and Voicemail for a year, and then anybody can call your number from any phone in the world and they can leave a message on your computer. Again, you can control the list of people who have that privilege.
In order to use a phone, you need an individual phone number. If it's unlisted, it's known to the phone company at least, and if a judge issues a wiretap warrant, they can listen in. Compared to that, this encrypted conversation on the Internet is security itself.
Reply to This
Tuesday, March 15 2005 @ 08:43 AM PST