Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/27/google_voice/
Google Voice forbids itself
You did read the T&C, didn't you?
Posted in Broadband, 27th March 2009 16:14 GMT
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The chocolate factory's latest service, Google Voice, expressly forbids using the service for voice mail - despite that being one of the most promoted features of the service.
Google Voice not only records voice-mail messages, but also transcribes those messages into text for archiving, and to allow easy scanning for targeted advertising. This prompted Andy Munarriz, CEO of competing voice-mail service HulloMail, to read through the terms and conditions of the service to see how long they hang on to transcribed messages. But what he discovered [1] was a clause expressly forbidding any use of voice mail at all:
"Subscriber agrees not to … Use the Service in connection with chain letters, junk email, voice mail, faxes, spamming or any duplicative or unsolicited messages"
The terms and conditions are missing [2] at the moment, presumably being updated, but thanks to the Google cache we can still see the document [3] that, no-doubt, all Google Voice users read in its entirety, before ensuring that anyone calling refrained from leaving messages that could put them in breach. ®