Either I'm more sensitive to the topic right now, or it's on everybody's mind. On Slashdot today I came across this article from the 7th in the Your Rights Online section.
myciti.com is requiring users to agree to an interesting set of terms and conditions before using the service. Here's the interesting part:
My Citi User Agreement ... Please read the My Citi User Agreement carefully - it includes disclaimers of liability and other matters of interest to you...4. Marketing.By selecting "I Agree" below, you acknowledge and agree that: (1) we may display advertisements and promotions of all kinds on our web site(s) and you agree not to disable any technology required or utilized to serve or display such advertising; and (2) you confirm the decision you made during the My Citi registration about whether or not to subscribe to receive marketing messages via e-mail from Citibank. In each case, such advertisements may be customized based upon information you may have provided us or upon information concerning the accounts and services that you access or use via our web site(s) in order to tailor them to your personal interests
Now since this is a voluntary agreement, and you don't have to use the service if you don't like it, I suppose that it's OK. However, that doesn't mean that I have to like it. I also suspect that this kind of thing won't sit well with many people, especially those who are just sick and tired of in-your-face advertisting.
However it should be noted that this service is for people who are already customers of Citibank. Why do they feel the need to force-feed advertising to these people? Shouldn't they treat their customers better than this? This clause gives me the feeling that they regard me as a thief of some sort.
Finally, it must be noted that the text of this agreement is not available until you've entered your personally identifying information. There are no links to this information before you've gone this far.
P.S. They also forgot to turn off the edit capability for the text area where this text is kept. I wonder what would happen if you changed it...
The full text of the agreement is below (click 'MORE...').
THIS AGREEMENT CONTAINS IMPORTANT PROVISIONS REQUIRING YOUR CONSENT TO RECEIVE NOTICES AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE SERVICE ELECTRONICALLY. YOU AGREE TO RECEIVE INFORMATION REGARDING THE SERVICE ELECTRONICALLY. YOU MUST HAVE THE ABILITY TO RECEIVE AND RETAIN ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS BEFORE YOU ACCEPT THESE TERMS. BY CLICKING THE "I AGREE" BUTTON BELOW YOU AGREE ELECTRONICALLY TO THESE TERMS. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SERVICE TO YOU BY NON-ELECTRONIC MEANS.
1. Acceptance of Terms.
IN THIS AGREEMENT, My Citi is the online service provided by Citibank ("Service", "We", "Us") that helps you manage your finances by bringing you current financial information and news, giving you access to your accounts at Citibank and its affiliated companies, and providing free online account aggregation through the My Accounts feature, all through a customizable home page. These terms set forth the terms and conditions under which the Service is made available to you, the person who registers for the Service. It is important that you understand both the benefits and limitations of the Service.
My Accounts is the optional online account aggregation feature of My Citi and is provided pursuant to terms and conditions that are presented separately at the time of My Accounts enrollment.
When you register for the Service and click on the "I Agree" button below, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree to all of these terms, click on the "I Disagree" button below. In order to use the Service and to view and retain a copy of these terms, you must have available a computer equipped with at least 128-bit JavaScript enabled browser and either a printer, drive or other storage device. Your browser must be configured to accept electronic "cookies". These terms may be updated from time to time. At least fifteen days prior to any material change, we will notify you by e-mail, at the public e-mail address you have provided, of the new or different terms and conditions or provide you an e-mail link to such new or different terms and conditions on our Web site. Any such notice will be deemed received when made available to you at the address you have provided. If you continue to use the Service after the effective date of such notice, your continued use of the Service constitutes acceptance of the changes and an agreement to be bound by these terms, as amended. If you do not agree to the changes, you agree to discontinue your use of the Service. You can review the most current version of these terms at any time at myciti.com. For the purposes of this Agreement, "Citibank" means: (a) if you have a Citibank deposit account, the bank which maintains your account; or (b) if you do not have a Citibank deposit account - Citibank, N.A if you live in downstate New York State; Citibank (New York State) if you live in upstate New York State; Citibank (Nevada) N.A. if you live in Nevada; or Citibank, FSB in all other cases.
2. The Service.
After you have registered for the Service and accepted these terms you may link your My Citi account to your Citibank® Banking Card and access information about and effect transactions in the accounts you have linked to your Citibank Banking Card and to certain other Citi accounts. You may also use the tools available on the Web sites. You may also subscribe to receive promotional materials, information and advice concerning Citi products and services via e-mail. You may elect to discontinue receiving such materials at any time.
3. Tools and Content.
The citi.com planners, educational tools and content we provide on this Web site are for information purposes only and are not intended to provide investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice, nor are they intended to indicate the availability or applicability of any Citigroup company, product or service to your unique circumstances. All examples are hypothetical and for illustrative purposes. Although we have obtained content from sources deemed to be reliable, Citigroup and its affiliates are not responsible for any content provided by unaffiliated third parties. You may wish to consult an appropriate advisor about your unique situation.
4. Marketing.
By selecting "I Agree" below, you acknowledge and agree that: (1) we may display advertisements and promotions of all kinds on our web site(s) and you agree not to disable any technology required or utilized to serve or display such advertising; and (2) you confirm the decision you made during the My Citi registration about whether or not to subscribe to receive marketing messages via e-mail from Citibank. In each case, such advertisements may be customized based upon information you may have provided us or upon information concerning the accounts and services that you access or use via our web site(s) in order to tailor them to your personal interests.
5. Privacy.
Citibank, as a member of Citigroup, respects your privacy. The complete terms of the Citigroup Privacy Policy are incorporated into and made part of this agreement. You can view the Citigroup Privacy Policy at http://www.citi.com.
6. Service Limitations.
We will try very hard to make your experience with us a productive one. However, we cannot always foresee or anticipate technical or other difficulties. These difficulties may result in loss of data, personalization settings or other service interruptions. We cannot assume responsibility for the timeliness, deletion, mis-delivery or failure to store any user data, communications or personalization settings.
7. Service Changes and Discontinuation.
We reserve the right to change or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Service at any time without notice. In order to maintain the security and integrity of the Service we may also suspend your access to the Service at any time without notice. You agree that we will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification or discontinuance of the Service.
8. Other.
These terms cannot be changed nor any of our rights waived unless we post a change in terms on this site and you accept them or you continue using the Service following receipt of notice of any changes proposed by us. This agreement is personal to you and you may not assign it to anyone. All notices to you shall be in writing via e-mail at the address you have provided us. Subject to Section 1 of this agreement, we may broadcast notices or messages through the Service to inform you of changes to the terms, the Service, or other matters of importance; such broadcasts shall constitute notice to you. If any provision of these terms is held to be unenforceable, then such provision shall be construed, as nearly as possible, to reflect the intentions of the parties with the other provisions remaining in full force and effect. If you have a Citibank deposit account you will also be subject to the terms of the Citibank Online User Agreement.
By clicking the "I AGREE" button below you confirm that:
(1) you have available the software and equipment required to view and retain this information,
(2) you agree to receive all information about the Service electronically and
(3) you agree to be bound by these Terms.
Because this service only operates electronically you will be unable to proceed if you don't agree.