AIM eavesdropping

I enjoyed the Thrashing Through Cyberspace blog, which I noticed after a posting on slashdot:

AOL Eavesdrops, Grants Itself Permission To Steal Your AIM Conversations

I wonder what rocket surgeon at AOL thought this was a good idea? Now (apparently) they can do whatever they want with your AOL Instant Messages, including posting them on the AOL Home Page, or in an ad campaign, etc. So much for an expectation of privacy. I wonder if that also adheres to the "AIM Direct Connection" which bypasses their servers (I think).

Tuesday (15.3.5) update: AOL To Modify AIM Terms of Service