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posted by
Dopefish
on Monday February 24 2014, @09:00PM
from the don't-click-ok-to-accept-the-eula dept.
from the don't-click-ok-to-accept-the-eula dept.
andrew writes:
"Alternet.org reports recent updates to terms of conditions for Bank of Americas cell phone app and Capital Ones new credit card contract have given banks unsettling new abilities. These privileges include the authority to access to your phone microphone and camera or even showing up at your workplace and home unannounced at any time.
From the the article:
We're witnessing a new era of fascism, where corporations are creating intrusive and over-bearing terms and conditions that customers click to agree to without even reading.
As a result, corporations in America have acquired king-like power, while we're the poor serfs that must abide by their every rule or else."
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Have Terms of Service Become Totalitarian Tools?
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sillema sillema nika su
(Score: 4, Insightful) by TheLink on Tuesday February 25 2014, @03:41AM
True they shouldn't have accepted, but we should fight such BS. Similar for "Yes it's a crappy T&C/contract but it's unenforceable by current laws". Publicizing really crappy T&Cs and boycotts might help. But it has to be done while there still are reasonable alternatives.
(Score: 2) by zsau on Tuesday February 25 2014, @05:24AM
"True they shouldn't have accepted it" is going to far, and boycotts and advertising are playing at the wrong place. The very offer of the term is unethical, and our language and ethical discussion needs to be based around that principle, not just tacking it on at the end with a boycott.
What alternative do they have? No-one can properly value everything that goes into one of these t&cs, but you need to agree to all sorts of crazy shit just to get by. The language is designed to be incomprehensible and ignored. You have no capacity to challenge it, and you're only option is to turn down something that you need.
People these days think the medievals were evil because, for instance, of making people serfs. But all the serfs voluntarily got into that position because they or their ancestors agreed that they and their children would have a guaranteed place to live and work in exchange for a share in the produce of the land.
People these days think that slavery is always evil, but many slaves voluntarily agreed to a debt, where one of the t&cs was that if you couldn't repay, you would be enslaved.
T&Cs generally can't be rationally interpreted by people. The exchange should be money for a product, not money and your first-born son for a product. Unreasonable and overly complicated terms simply shouldn't be offered.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by TheLink on Tuesday February 25 2014, @06:40AM
Later a whole bunch of our ancestors finally rejected that. But now we're letting it happen again, bit by bit.