Every time you open any application for the first time, you get a pop up that has a huge document to read — the platform’s terms of service. We don’t know what we are agreeing to, we just press “I agree” to use whatever application it is.
This needs to change. The contents within the agreement document should be more readable for users with larger print and should have less tricky wording. I believe that having a summary within the agreement to what the individual is agreeing to would be rather beneficial. Individuals would be able to learn about what they are agreeing to and know if they really do accept the terms or are just pressing the button.
Some agreements ask for you to agree to a privacy policy, which can range from tracking your search history to your address and phone number. Do you really want some random person at a company to know everything about you just because you pressed a button without reading an agreement? Pressing the “I Agree” button could be dangerous if you aren’t careful. Next time, skim through the terms instead of skipping them.
One of the most recent news stories has been about Roblox, a gaming platform that banned a YouTuber named Schlep who was helping law enforcement catch child predators. Roblox’s Restricted Content Policy and Community Standards policy (inaccessible to most users and difficult to locate) states: “For some behavior that violates these Standards, such as behavior that poses a real-world risk to others, we reserve the right to contact or cooperate with the relevant authorities in order to keep everyone safe.” Roblox can also ban accounts that violate these policies. Of course, these companies have power over their own platforms. However, Roblox shouldn’t have banned the YouTuber. Though he may have been violating Roblox’s user agreement, he was working with authorities to help keep the community safe on the users of the platform for the company. The intent of the violation was meant to keep individuals safe on the application but the wording of the agreement is confusing and was twisted around to go against Schlep and ban him from the service. Roblox and other companies should work with the government and with individuals that are willing to assist in keeping their online communities safe. Roblox should make it more clear in their terms of service of what individuals have agreed to.
As increased user awareness would lead to less confusion, more safety, and fewer legal controversies, the government should require companies to implement easily readable summaries of their terms of use.
