4 ms·

Because people agree to it when they sign the "terms of service" of these software and OSs.

pdimitar 6y ago
This is bogus circular logic and you know it. People want to use thing X and will blindly press "I agree" because they simply see it as a door handle before entering somewhere. Having such long ToS-es that "protect" the company against any eventuality should be by itself illegal. It's a rigged system is what this whole thing is. Let's not pretend otherwise, please.
- kukx 6y ago
  Life by design is rigged and there is little we can do to change it. Natural selection may help with some problems, but it is also cruel in its nature. Knowing it does not mean we should not try to make the world a better place, we should. But there are fundamental limitations like IQ, free will, laws of physics etc that we should not forget about. Going back to the ToS problem, they could probably offer a more expensive version with a ToS aimed at more demanding customers, so that they could opt out by paying more. I think it would be fair.
  - abestic9 6y ago
    > they could probably offer a more expensive version with a ToS aimed at more demanding customers This is already on offer, but not from Google.
- greenwich26 6y ago
  I know, I was answering the question literally from a legal standpoint, nothing more. Chill.
bashinator 6y ago
Almost all click-through terms of service are, IMO, designed to prevent people from reading them. https://www.eff.org/wp/clicks-bind-ways-users-agree-online-terms-service https://www.eff.org/wp/clicks-bind-ways-users-agree-online-t... and many many others if you search for "click through terms of service readability"
- kukx 6y ago
  Would people read ToS, if they were more "attractive"? Well, maybe some, but then again, it would be a chore anyway. I do not see a way to make people spend a substantial amount of time on it, if they are not absolutely forced to do it (for example if the stakes are high). However, I do not have any papers to back it up, it is just my hunch.

This is bogus circular logic and you know it. People want to use thing X and will blindly press "I agree" because they simply see it as a door handle before entering somewhere. Having such long ToS-es that "protect" the company against any eventuality should be by itself illegal. It's a rigged system is what this whole thing is. Let's not pretend otherwise, please.

kukx 6y ago
Life by design is rigged and there is little we can do to change it. Natural selection may help with some problems, but it is also cruel in its nature. Knowing it does not mean we should not try to make the world a better place, we should. But there are fundamental limitations like IQ, free will, laws of physics etc that we should not forget about. Going back to the ToS problem, they could probably offer a more expensive version with a ToS aimed at more demanding customers, so that they could opt out by paying more. I think it would be fair.
- abestic9 6y ago
  > they could probably offer a more expensive version with a ToS aimed at more demanding customers This is already on offer, but not from Google.
greenwich26 6y ago
I know, I was answering the question literally from a legal standpoint, nothing more. Chill.

bashinator 6y ago

Almost all click-through terms of service are, IMO, designed to prevent people from reading them. https://www.eff.org/wp/clicks-bind-ways-users-agree-online-terms-service https://www.eff.org/wp/clicks-bind-ways-users-agree-online-t... and many many others if you search for "click through terms of service readability"

kukx 6y ago
Would people read ToS, if they were more "attractive"? Well, maybe some, but then again, it would be a chore anyway. I do not see a way to make people spend a substantial amount of time on it, if they are not absolutely forced to do it (for example if the stakes are high). However, I do not have any papers to back it up, it is just my hunch.