Earlier this week, Cisco decided to update the software on some of its home routers so that they connected to Cisco"s cloud service by default. This move angered a ton of Cisco router owners who felt that the company was making this move at the expense of their customer"s privacy. Since then, Cisco has pulled that cloud service "feature" from their routers.
Now, in a new Cisco blog post, the company"s home products vice-president Brett Wingo apologized for the " ... lack of clarity in our own terms of service." He added:
Cisco Connect Cloud is an optional service that brings additional features to a home network. It is not required to set-up and manage Cisco Linksys EA Series routers. In response to our customers’ concerns, we have simplified the process for opting-out of the Cisco Connect Cloud service and have changed the default setting back to traditional router set-up and management.
If people have signed on to Cisco Cloud Connect and want to revert back to the local management software, Cisco offers up an online guide to accomplish this, or they can contact the company"s customer support line at 1-800-326-7114.
Wingo also tried to put the best foot forward in dealing with the privacy issues some have raised about the cloud service, saying, " ... even when a customer signs up for a Cisco Connect Cloud account, Cisco does not track or store any personal information regarding a customer’s usage of the Internet." The company has also posted new updates today for its Cisco Connect Cloud Terms of Service, End User License Agreement and Privacy Supplement.
Finally, Wingo states:
Once again, I sincerely apologize on behalf of the Cisco team for the inconvenience we have caused. Cisco is committed to the privacy and security of our customers, and I assure you we will update our terms of service and related documentation as quickly as possible to accurately reflect our company policy and values.
Source: Cisco blog