Consumer Campaigners Read T&C Of Their Mobile Phone Apps To Prove a Point (bbc.com)

From a BBC report: Norwegians have spent more than 30 hours reading out terms and conditions from smartphone apps in a campaign by the country's consumer agency. The average Norwegian has 33 apps, the Norwegian Consumer Council says, whose terms and conditions together run longer than the New Testament. To prove the "absurd" length, the council got Norwegians to read each of them out in real time on their website. The reading finished on Wednesday, clocking in at 31:49:11. Some of the world's most popular apps were chosen, including Netflix, YouTube, Facebook, Skype, Instagram and Angry Birds. Finn Myrstad from the Norwegian Consumer Council, said: "The current state of terms and conditions for digital services is bordering on the absurd."

Comments

Re:Who is to blame?

[Piata]

A good start.

Re:Who is to blame?

[jfdavis668]

We should sue whoever is responsible.

Re:Terms and conditions are generally obnoxious

[DaHat]

Most, but you can still have fun with em from time to time if you really don't care about the T&C's.

I've a few apps on a less than popular app store, each of which have some boiler plate terms which I wrote ages ago, and still to this date gets the occasional happy or angry email about it:

This license agreement represents a contract, between the author of this program (*author name*), and the user of it (you), that both parties freely enter into for the use of this software (app name).

By installing and/or using this program you give your consent to this license and thus you agree to the following:

You will not:

• Reverse engineer, sell, sublicense, or otherwise misappropriate this program or it's components except where otherwise agreed to between both parties.
• Use this program in any unlawful manner.

Furthermore, you agree that:

• Any allegations of abuse that arise as a result of this program are the sole responsibility of the user of the program and at no time will the author be in any way accountable except where forbidden by law.
• You are not now, nor have ever been a member of the Communist Party.
• Your use of this program is strictly voluntary and can, as such, end at any time at the sole or joint decision of you or the author.
• *author name* is a cool and happening guy.
• In the event this contract is terminated, your right to use the licensed software is also terminated.
• All disputes resulting from the interpretation of this agreement shall be settled at the author's whim.
• You will hold harmless and completely indemnify the author of this program (*author name*) from any civil or criminal liabilities related to the use, possession, transmission or thought about this program.
• You will not donate to Obama for America, DCCC, DSCC, DNC, Jay Inslee in any way or any fund supporting Democrats running for any office during the 2012 campaign.
• If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal, unenforceable or in conflict with the law of any jurisdiction, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.