I thought this 25/3/2006 piece by Bill Thompson, who writes on technology issues for the BBC, provides a thoughtful perspective on how the World Wide Web is changing at the moment, and on why he is gradually losing his scepticism about the importance of the so called "read/write Web", or "Web 2.0", as exemplified by services like Writely, or Flickr, and, increasingly, by Google services such as Page Creator.
An important issue for Thompson is the extent to which users have to but their trust in (i.e. give their personal or other important data to!) the companies that provide these services. For example I've been quite taken with an interesting and attractive "Web 2.0" service called Box.net, which provides an advertising-free remote back-up service, enabling you to access your stuff from any networked device that runs a browser. So far so good - especially since so many people are so poor at back-up, and could get much better at it using a service of this kind. But this 2/4/2006 extract - emphasis added - from Box.net's Terms of Service makes me a bit wary, even assuming that I was content that my data was safe day-to-day with the company.
Box.net reserves the right to terminate without notice your password, account or use of Box.net service and delete any data within Box.net service if you fail to comply with this Agreement or for cause of any other nature. You may terminate your user account upon notice to Box.net at any time. Upon termination by Box.net or at your direction, you may request a file of your data, which Box.net will make available for a fee. You must make such request at the notification of termination to receive such file within thirty (30) days of termination. Box.net shall have no obligation to maintain any data stored in your account or to forward any data to you or any third party.
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