Understanding Small Texts: Privacy Policies, Terms & Conditions

Understanding Small Texts: Privacy Policies, Terms & Conditions The purpose of these documents • Recording which rights you willingly waive in exchange of service • Setting your responsibilities as a user • Establishing the responsibilities of the service provider • Stating how data and personal information will be handled by the service provider • Determining who has legal liability if a problem occurs • Specifying how and under which rules of law will the parties resolve issues What is at stake If you agree to these documents without reading, you might unknowingly waive your rights or end up in a situation you can’t get out of. Be conscious of your choices and ask these questions to understand what you negotiate. Anonymity of your data • What kind of information is collected about me? Will the service provider have personally identifiable information on me? Is this information crucial for the functioning of the service or the product? • Will they anonymize the data they gather from me? • Will the service provider track me even on other platforms? • Can I choose my level of privacy with privacy control settings? • Will my information be shared with third parties? For which purposes will the shared information be used? Copyright of your content • Do I keep the ownership of the original content I share on this platform? Can others use my original content without getting my permission? Your right to be informed • Will the service providers take measures to protect my data against malicious attacks and leaks? Will they provide me notifications if my data is breached? • Could the terms be arbitrarily changed by the service provider? Are users notified when terms change? Does continuing to use the service mean I agree to their new terms even without being aware of them? Your right to access • Can I get a copy of the archive of data they have on me? Your right to rectification • Can I correct the inaccurate information being shared about me? Your right to erasure and being forgotten • Can I opt out? Can I get my data out while leaving the service? Does the service hold onto the data I delete from the platform? For how long do they store my data? Liability of the users and the service provider • Can I take legal action against the users and the service provider if my rights have been trespassed? Mutual responsibilities • What are the conditions and rules that I should abide by while using this service? • What is the scope and quality of service they promise? • Can they end my use of the service at any time? • Have the service providers sneaked in annual fees or late fees? • Are there any restrictive cancellation requirements and consequences? What you can do • Read the document. • Examine the advices of the non-profit organizations which aim to make decisions collectively. • Join or initiate a collective to inform other people with the guidance of experts such as lawyers and other NGOs • Check reviews and on the internet about the status and reach of these documents. • Try available tools that comb through these documents when you cannot. • Do a search for some keywords in the document such as o Third parties or affiliates o Opt-out o Arbitration o Waive or waiver o Disclaimer o Discretion and at any time Stay in control of your privacy and security and protect your rights by becoming knowledgeable about the terms of service and privacy policies. References Guide to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/ Understanding Online Terms of Service, https://tech.co/news/understand-online-terms-of-service-2018-05 How to Quickly Read Terms of Service https://lifehacker.com/how-to-quickly-read-a-terms-of-service-5892422