Do
you AGREE?
- Just about every time you do anything online these days, you have
to click-to-agree to some kind
of terms of use, purchase or subscription agreement. This is
usually a very long, complicated, hard-to-read fine
print that, frankly, 99.9 percent of us never bother to
read. You just click “Agree” and keep going -
it's sort of like the software warrantee plastic sealwrap, you must
break the seal to try it, and in the act of breaking the seal, you
accept the terms, i.e., you Bought it!
After all, what can it matter? There are laws governing such
things, right? Laws that protect you, the consumer. Companies
can’t put anything in there that is really going to hurt you
down the line, right? Wrong! An
analysis
(opens in a new window) of Whosit's fine
print by J.R. Wilson, ComputerEdge® columnist.
Some
HOT (like in HOTEL
reservations)
DOO fine print ... (more
fine print scat)
Updated, Feb '04: Are
you a HOTMAIL® user?
Did you know that Microsoft can do essentially ANYTHING
they want with your e-mail?
Click HERE for
details.
NEW: INDEMNITY
"Catch-all Kicker." Did you
agree to defend the "party of the first party" against all
law suits, forever!?
Click HERE
for details.
An
oxymoronic footnote.
The internet agreement
Catch-22:
When
you click on the "I AGREE" button, you agree to something like "Use
of this web site is unauthorized in any jurisdiction that does not
give effect to all provisions of this agreement, including, but not
limited, to this paragraph."
In
short, if your government has any law that contravenes any provision
of the terms, you are agreeing that your use was UNAUTHORIZED and
you should not have used their web site in the first place!
That is, it was ALL your fault in the first place and you should have
known better (ignorance of the law is 'no excuse'); or, as we would
say more succinctly, "Doo on you!"
Click HERE
to read about new-doo investigations
that are underway.
Do
you have some DOO to share,
email your scat info/viewpoint to NEWScat.
Our dotdoo site
is under development. Someone said, "The pen is mightier than
the sword." I beg to differ, it is not the pen, but the words.
Whilst we develop the web site, here are some chuckles, may you
enjoy the words: