Logged on to Plaxo today to find this notice regarding its new terms of service:

On October 6, 2009, we will move to a common Privacy Policy and Terms of Service across Plaxo and several other Comcast properties. The new policies will retain both TRUSTe compliance and the strong core principles of our existing policy. You should note the following: Non-personally identifiable data about your usage pattern on our sites will be shared with affiliates to provide tailored content, advertising, and services. To provide a more integrated online experience, users who use a common ID for Plaxo and other Comcast sites will have account settings and other information applied across those sites.

Comcast bought Plaxo last year. At the time, the acquisition was touted as a win-win for consumers, saying it would enable them to “connect with all the people they care about, across all of the devices they use.” This announcement leads me to worry that Plaxo could degenerate into becoming primarily a shill for Comcast products and services.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.