Cisco's cloud vision: Mandatory, monetized, and killed at their discretion

Last week, a number of Cisco customers began reporting problems with three specific Linksys-branded routers. When owners of the E2700, E3500, or E4500 attempted to log in to their devices, they were asked to login/register using their "Cisco Connect Cloud" account information. The story that's emerged from this unexpected "upgrade" is a perfect example of how buzzword fixation can lead to extremely poor decisions.

When you use the Service, we may keep track of certain information related to your use of the Service, including but not limited to the status and health of your network and networked products; which apps relating to the Service you are using; which features you are using within the Service infrastructure; network traffic (e.g., megabytes per hour); internet history; how frequently you encounter errors on the Service system and other related information ("Other Information").

This paragraph has been excised entirely from the current version of the Supplemental Privacy Policy(Opens in a new window), but that proves nothing -- Cisco has the right to update its privacy policy at any time, without legal penalty. Both versions of the document contain a further statement that may raise a few eyebrows. The next-to-last sentence reads: "In some cases, in order to provide an optimal experience on your home network, some updates may still be automatically applied, regardless of the auto-update setting."

In a plot twist that could've been predicted by an eight-year old, users were enraged at having their routers stealth-updated, angry at being forced to register for a cloud service that provides no benefit whatsoever, concerned about privacy implications of the original Privacy Supplement, and unhappy at being initially told that there would be no way to roll back to the earlier firmware. Cisco has since retracted this and has provided a public link to the old firmware and a detailed guide on updating the router.

Next page: Steps you don't want and apps you don't need...

Profound disconnect between company, users

This botched attempt to capitalize on "the cloud" is Cisco's latest attempt to sexify its product lines and build brand presence. Consumer routers, unfortunately, are neither inherently sexy nor big enough to drape a booth babe over. Even if you somehow manage the latter, it does terrible things to your wireless signal strength. Cisco Connect Cloud is somehow supposed to solve this problem, despite offering no new features compared to a traditional router.

We'll let the company tell you in its own images...

This is nothing but a shameless attempt to cash in on the popularity of cloud computing, and it comes at a price. The Terms and Conditions(Opens in a new window) of using the Cisco Connect Cloud state that Cisco may unilaterally shut down your account if finds that you have used the service for "obscene, pornographic, or offensive purposes, to infringe another's rights, including but not limited to any intellectual property rights, or... to violate, or encourage any conduct that would violate any applicable law or regulation or give rise to civil or criminal liability."

It then continues "we reserve the right to take such action as we (i) deem necessary or (ii) are otherwise required to take by a third party or court of competent jurisdiction, in each case in relation to your access or use or misuse of such content or data. Such action may include, without limitation, discontinuing your use of the Service immediately without prior notice to you, and without refund or compensation to you."

Thoughtless, greedy, and consumer-hostile

Linksys built its brand on reasonably priced, widely compatible routers with decent performance, idiot-proof setup, and a few frills at the upper end of its product mix. As of last week, buying a new Linksys router means being forced to adopt a "cloud" service that offers no benefits, allows Cisco to snoop your internet history, and gives the company the power to control access to hardware you legally purchased.

That's not what users signed up for, and no collection of apps or GUI improvements is going to change that. The increasingly dubious Megaupload seizure and the way the government held dajaz1.com for an entire year are evidence that neither corporations nor the federal government can be trusted to perform due diligence in their investigations or in seizing evidence. In such a climate, it would be insane to buy into a service like this.