The Terms and Conditions DO Apply

In looking at the readings assigned for this week, it is crazy to note how many Terms of Services I have scrolled past and accepted. This is even more terrifying once you realize what rights and information you could be signing away. I wonder if these companies make these terms long on purpose; in the hopes that the user will scan through and accept the terms anyways… completely overlooking the fine print.

In “Social Experiment Proves That No One Really Reads Terms and Conditions” by Inside Edition on YouTube, these terms are put to the test. A lady is set up at a kiosk in which she is advertising for a free iPad, the only catch is that they have to sign the Terms and Conditions. All of the participants agree without reading and are hit with very different expectations. One girl agreed to foster a child, a man agreed to adopt a dog, and another lady agreed to give the advertiser the shirt off of her back. This experiment shows how careless we all can be when reading over these terms.

In “Do You Read Terms Of Service Contracts? Not Many Do, Research Shows by Shankar Ventadam” it is stated that in a study testing a certain term being read or not, 98% of participants did not even notice the statement. I could see this fact being true, as myself and everyone I know do not even think twice on the terms before accepting them.

In the website showing the different ratings of how much each website uses personal information, I was SHOCKED. I knew websites such as Facebook would ask for access to essentially it’s users entire life, but places like Khan Academy were unexpected. This just goes to show how you are never safe on the internet…. unless you read the Terms and Conditions that apply.