Ts & Cs Why You Should Read Them

Hi there, Lovely Reader, this article seeks to draw your attention to the rising negligence of Ts and Cs. This generation ─ the technological age, never seizes to sleep or rest on innovative tools and services that to some extent make life easier, safer and fun as many put it. On that note, it is worth mentioning that though the world today is fast paced and rapidly developing and as such evolving into a global village for which the world is getting smaller as the tech grows, it would be an error if it already isn’t, should we neglect our obligation as end users of these tools and services that are finished products of a technological process.

As users of technology, we are obliged at our own discretion to stay informed about what exactly that piece of tech you’re purchasing has to offer you, how best to use it, the dangers of misusing it, the legal actions to take when we fail to use them as designed as well as what to do when it fails us and a multitude of many other options.

At this point I’m sure you’re already wondering where all this is going and what Ts and Cs really are. Don’t worry, like I mentioned, this article will set it all out. Before that, let us rewind all the way back to the very first time you installed an app or agreed to use an online service. If you can recall, what I call a “welcome page” (a window that allows you to login or sign up), there was a small block of text highlighted and underlined at the end of the window or sometimes a pop up usually reading, “Terms and Conditions” or “Click here to read Terms and Conditions.” Did you click here? Even if you did, did you read to the end? Did you fully understand what you read? And did you consciously agree?

According to a Deloitte survey of 2,000 consumers in the U.S, about 91% of people consent to legal terms and services conditions without reading them. For younger people ages 18-34 the range is even higher with 97% agreeing to conditions before reading them.─ Caroline Cake bread, ”You’re not alone, no one reads terms and service agreements”, Business Insider(Nov. 15, 2017, 7:30AM). Despite the fact that this survey was conducted in the U.S it clearly spells out that we don’t read the agreements before accepting them.

Terms of Service (also known as Terms of Use and Terms and Conditions, commonly abbreviated as TOS or ToS, or ToU or T&C) are rules by which one must agree to abide in order to use a service. Terms of Service can also be a disclaimer, especially regarding the use of websites. The Terms and Conditions Agreement is mainly used for legal purposes by companies which provide software or services, such as web browsers, e-commerce, web search engines, social media, and transport services. ─ Terms of Service, Wikipedia.

There you go, now we know what they really are and but we want to take a closer look at why you should read them at all.

Anyone that doesn’t read conditions enlisted in Terms of service Agreements may be waiving their rights just to have access to an app or service. Simply put, if you fail to read the conditions, you are liable to any actions in there. Meaning, if in any part of the conditions it is stated that “users of this app or service are required to give all their properties to the app developer”, and you agree without consent, I’m sorry but you’re toast.

So what do I do about Ts and Cs? The best thing to do about Ts and Cs is to read them, make sure you understand them, and in cases where you don’t, find someone to explain further or contact the help service of the app developer or service deliverer. Additionally, according to Wiki, Customers can enforce a law suit or arbitration case if they can show they were actually harmed by a breach of the terms. This can only apply if you have read, understood and accepted the terms.

Therefore, I will recommend that users should be extra careful when signing up for services on the internet or an app. Since this can be very dangerous and I think it is high time we change our attitudes toward Ts and Cs. Though there’s not much awareness about this, I’m convinced that soon enough this could become a case of national interest to governments as more and more internet users are agreeing to conditions that could be a threat to their privacy and an infiltration of their rights.

I will also request app developers and service providers to make the conditions clear enough by simplifying the legal jargon for the average person who wants to have access to their products.

Thanks a lot for reading, I hope you are at a cool head when Ts and Cs ever pop up anywhere. Do leave a comment, question or suggestions in the comment section below. And oh don’t forget to like and invite other friends to visit this page. Thanks again.