The program will still function until Dec. 15 After that date, users won’t be able to sign in and all data will be deleted. AOL says people with an aim.com email address will still be able to use it.
AOL was fiercely protective of its dominance in the instant messaging market. It fended off rivals, including Microsoft, by blocking their messaging platforms from communicating with AOL users. Its actions prompted a coalition of rivals to complain to the federal government ahead of AOL’s ill-fated merger with Time Warner that was completed in 2001.