A study confirms what we already know: hardly anybody actually reads those lengthy terms and conditions you have to agree to before you can download an app or join a social media or other site.
Here's how MediaPost summarized the results:
For the study, "The Biggest Lie on the Internet," researchers gave 543 communications undergraduates the opportunity to test "Namedrop," a fictional social networking service.
Participants had to officially agree to the site's terms in order to join, but didn't have to click through to read the 8,000-word privacy policy or 4,300-word terms of service first. The vast majority of undergrads -- 74% -- simply checked a box saying they agreed to the terms without reading them.
The ones who "read" privacy policy and terms of service typically spent less than one minute doing so.
It's alarming, but spending fifteen minutes trying to decipher the fine print doesn't seem very realistic.
Maybe some entrepreneur could create a site on which there's a list of apps and sites and a summary of the terms and conditions and warnings about any suspicious demands. You'd make a micro-payment of ten cents or pence for that report, then you could agree with peace of mind. Entrepreneur, a little thank you of one penny per sale will be sufficient thank you for this idea.
