Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

EFF Launches TOS Tracker

Posted by Soulskill on from the by-reading-this-you-agree-to-do-what-i-want dept.

stoolpigeon writes with this quote from the EFF: "'Terms of Service' policies on websites define how Internet businesses interact with you and use your personal information. But most web users don't read these policies — or understand that the terms are constantly changing. To track these ever-evolving documents, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is launching TOSBack: a 'terms of service' tracker for Facebook, Google, eBay, and other major websites. ... The issue of terms-of-service changes — and how and why they are made — was highlighted earlier this year when Facebook modified its terms of use. Facebook users worried that the change gave the company the right to use members' content indefinitely. After a user revolt, Facebook announced that it would restore the former terms while it worked through the concerns users had raised."

6 of 65 comments (clear)

  1. Can someone make a firefox plugin by linzeal · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Combine that with some sort of aggregating data feed from EFF and other trusted sites.

    --
    An Education is the Font of All Liberty
  2. Wiki? by gmuslera · · Score: 2, Interesting

    One of the best features of wiki pages is that you can see who did what changes and when. Maybe using that technology could be made a generic "important" files changes tracker?

  3. Re:Hey Slashfaggots by Anachragnome · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well, I can see from my screen that they are workin' on it, man. Wrong direction, but at least they're on it.

    Seriously guys, it is getting worse...

  4. Re:Diff by Caledfwlch · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think a Federal law should be passed requiring not only web sites but all TOS documents to produce a diff version so it's easy to see what has changed since the last version. Who has time to re-read all the credit card, phone company, etc. lengthy TOS documents to find the one or two line that have subtly changed.

    --
    These views express my own personal opinions, not those of the other voices in my head
  5. Re:Diff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Who has time to re-read all the credit card, phone company, etc. lengthy TOS documents to find the one or two line that have subtly changed.

    Who cares about reading all the credit card, phone company, etc. lengthy TOS at all?

  6. I agree, in part. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    > IANAL, but as far as I understand, if you need a special add-on to ensure that you see their updates, their updates mean nothing.

    Actually, I think that a judge is more likely to rule that the changes are binding if you clearly had notice of them.

    So if you install this, use it, and continue to use the service after some negative change to their policy, you're more likely to be found to have agreed to it, no matter how unreasonable that change was.

    In short, I won't be using this thing. IANAL, but I'd rather have mine be able to argue that I hadn't been given proper notice of that change than to install some extension that makes it clear that I knew or should have known about all the crazy changes they make to their terms of service.