I was on my way home listening to KPCC and listened into “On The Media” radio talk show. The topic was on the TOS (Terms of Service) people need to agree to when using online or desktop application media. You know, that pesky thing you pretend to read before you install a program on the computer or when your signing up to a website? Realistically who reads them?

Listen into the show here:

Are you one of those people who just clicks on “Next” until you get to “Install”? Or how about, being a little paranoid that they might detect you really didnt read the TOS so you scroll through to get to the bottom of the text, THEN click on “Next”?

I admit, I’m the kind of person to simply ignore the TOS and skip right on through, oblivious to the fact that I might have just given up my right to privacy or worse. Spyware programs practically depend on the user ignoring the TOS so its always a good idea to read through it. But, isnt there a better way?

I propose there can be.

For any TOS you might run into, there could be some sort of website or database to check that would be completely open to anyone and everyone. A website that caters to people who dont want to sit there and read line for line worrying if they are going to be held accountable for something they ignored to read about beforehand. This website would allow people to login and post “summaries” of any TOS they encounter and are generous enough to create. The result would be a resource someone can go to before clicking agree to “product X’s TOS” and reading a brief itemized list of the important things he/she should know about. Something short and to the point. Each “item” or “line” in that TOS could be voted on by other users to bring it up to the top for other users so that the items of importance will always be the most pressed.

I know this is looking too far ahead but I would like to see a link next to any TOS I come across that takes me to this “Summarized TOS” website that gives me a quick run down of what Im agreeing to. Lazy? Maybe, but also time saving and very helpful. Think about it, its better than not having a service like that and continuing to let people “click on through” without even getting SOME idea of what they just agreed to.

Now I dont know all the details about how this service would/could work but I think its something that its a step in the right direction. At the very least it would get people to become more aware of the contracts they are bound to.