My unwillingness to read the Terms and Conditions list has always been a curiosity to me. Would I one day actually regret not reading that long list? Should I have saved the legal document to read extensively in the near future? For some reason, the answer is always to agree and forget.
I could not agree more with Shelby Raeburn’s article. Technology continues to advance and grow to adapt society’s need for convenience. When exactly did it become convenient for one not to read a legal document? When were we taught to say, “yes” before knowing what we were agreeing to? Who told us to go into a deal blind?
A recent experiment was conducted by F-Secure, a Helsinki-based company, who managed to squeeze in obscure terms into the Terms and Conditions agreement at various free WiFi locations in London. From this experiment, F-Secure discovered that out of convenience, ignorance and laziness, six locals unknowingly signed away their rights to their pets and their first-born child.
The results of this experiment are not surprising. I have yet to meet someone who reads through and understands all the Terms and Conditions agreements they have agreed to.
The question I am asking now is will this bad habit ever stop? What exactly would it have to take to make society read? At what point would we be cautious enough to read what we are agreeing to?
For some reason, I have a feeling that this bad habit will never stop. Unless an extreme case arises, convenience and ignorance will continue to dominate.
Shelby’s article: https://blogs.ubc.ca/sraeburn/2014/10/04/wifi-terms-and-conditions-is-our-society-really-that-ignorant/