

Cisco backs down, drops cloud from default router settings - boh
http://blogs.cisco.com/home/update-answering-our-customers-questions-about-cisco-connect-cloud-2/

======
Jabbles
_Cisco will not arbitrarily disconnect customers from the Cisco Connect Cloud
service based on how they are using the Internet.

Cisco Connect Cloud and Cisco Linksys routers do not monitor or store
information about how our customers are using the Internet and we do not
arbitrarily disconnect customers from the Internet. The Cisco Connect Cloud
service has never monitored customers’ Internet usage, nor was it designed to
do so, and we will clarify this in an update to the terms of service.

Cisco Linksys routers are not used to collect information about Internet
usage.

Cisco’s Linksys routers do not track or store any personal information
regarding customers’ use of the Internet._

Ignoring all other aspects of this for the moment, I think startups can all
learn something from this. Make sure you check what your lawyer is saying on
your behalf. Putting " _You agree not to use or permit the use of the Service:
...(ii) for obscene, pornographic, or offensive purposes;_ " in your TOU may
help protect you from some obscure theoretical legal point of view, but from
your customer's perspective it makes you seem malicious.

Ironically(?), the first thing you have to agree not to do is " _invade
another's privacy_ "

~~~
lukejduncan
Do we know that's really what happened? I can very much see it going either
way a) Lawyer put in too much defensive language or b) Cisco really wanted to
push you into a new service.

Admittedly, it's a very different product and service, but can we blame them
when they see companies like Facebook forcing their email service on users in
such an obtrusive way? If I were a semi-out-of-touch manager I might think
"The cloud is the way to go, we get more control, there are legitimate upsides
to consumers, and anyone who bitches ultimately shuts up after a day of
tweeting."

Seems like there's lots of precedent for them to think about trying.

~~~
wmf
There are two separate issues here. It's clear that Cisco deliberately created
the Cloud Connect service (I won't speculate on their motivations; in theory
such a service could benefit customers) and deliberately auto-updated
customers to it (which they promised all along). The TOS is a separate problem
and appears to be a combination of legal ass-covering and deliberate
misinterpretation.

------
praptak
_"We believe lack of clarity in our own terms of service has contributed to
many of our customers’ concerns, and we apologize for the confusion and
inconvenience this has caused. We take responsibility for that lack of
clarity, and we are taking steps to make this right."_

Hey Cisco, what about having people locked out of their own routers? (
[http://www.neowin.net/news/cisco-locks-users-out-of-their-
ro...](http://www.neowin.net/news/cisco-locks-users-out-of-their-routers-
requires-invasive-cloud-service) ) I don't see it mentioned in your non-
apology.

------
ChuckMcM
This is an essential move on Cisco's part but the damage has been done. We
should expect more of these. A friend bought a Samsung TV which wanted to
download updated firmware from the Internet when she turned it on the first
time. (it has a bunch of, IMO worthless, streaming features built in) With all
the pieces there at what point does the TV accidentally 'brick' itself? Or you
have a RandomBrand unit where RandomBrand goes out of business and the TV
tries to download and can't so becomes worthless.

Eventually "no software changes needed" or something to that effect will be a
'feature' that sells gear. Or of course open software.

~~~
flatline3
We recently purchased a TV for a short conference we were having. We didn't
have much time to pick it out, so we picked out a reasonably well-reviewed
name-brand television (my apologies, I can't remember the brand off-hand).

Like your experience, the device required an immediate network update.

Once the update was complete, I was astounded to see the television
automatically download promotional advertisements and display them prominently
on the main menu of the television, amidst the standard options.

If we hadn't _required_ the television for the conference, I would have
returned it to the store then and there. I anticipate that we'll see more of
this in the future, and I don't look forward to it.

------
Atomus
Cisco from the start should of made this an opt-in and not an opt-out (which
in this case took customer pressure to even get opt-out). Whether they meant
to do this on purpose or just misinformed management, they should of known
from the start this was going to be a PR nightmare forcing updates which then
require you to sign up for their cloud and their new TOS.

~~~
wmf
The part no one mentions is that Cisco advertised these routers as cloudy all
along, so the firmware update just delivered the already-promised features.
People who bought these routers probably didn't quite realize what a cloud
router means, though.

[http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-
news/31723-...](http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-
news/31723-cisco-announces-smart-wi-fi-router-line)

~~~
praptak
Did they advertise it as "locked until you agree to whatever agreement we want
to force upon you"?

~~~
wmf
Everything has had EULAs for years.

~~~
z92
People don't buy products after reading disclaimers or EULAs. But they carry
some expectations as what to get from it and what not. If they later find a
too wide difference between their expectations and how that EULA had been
acted upon, they know what brand NOT to buy next. And friends warn friends, if
only to save them from reading 10 EULAs daily.

