Online Agreements

Do you read the lengthy terms and agreement, privacy policy, or similar item that you are required to agree to almost constantly in the online world? If your answer is no, you are in the majority of users. Some occasionally read for a specific part, but how many actually read through the entire thing? Who even has time for that? They are all the same, anyways, right? It's not like it's a real agreement - it's online!

You know what I say to that? I read them all. Has one or two items been agreed to before I read them? Sure. I always make sure to read them, however. I only do not on websites where I have recently read it or a similar situation. (I also generally sign up for things with my junk email account, which I created for all of those agreements that do not specifically state they will not sell or share my email/personal information. I highly suggest this method, as it greatly decreases the time spent on email, as the junk account is review about once or twice per week maximum and mostly can be deleted or ignored.)

It surprises me sometimes what people will agree to online. I have read user agreements and immediately left a site, even if I really wanted to use it. There is almost always another way. If these agreements were all the exact same, implied agreements, we would not have to sign every single one. They are different, and some of them are a bit frightening in terms of what can be slipped into them without notice.

As to the idea that it is online and therefore not a valid agreement if one was to ever challenge, I have  to disagree on many accounts. Online agreements are in full force of law. In a contract law course I took, we spent quite a bit of time (two chapters in our book) discussing e-commerce and online contracts. If you click it, you are held to it. You also agree to terms when you open software, about which most people do not think.

I'm not about to lecture on reading everything you sign or contract law. However, I do find it important to read what you sign, since you are being held to everything in the agreement. The argument "I didn't know it said that" is never valid, unless it was legitimately hidden in some fashion. Believe me - that rarely happens.

If you are still thinking that it doesn't matter, since nothing in there could affect you, please think of why you even have to agree to these. For instance, many of them list the place litigation will take place, as well as what law will be adhered to, should any dispute arise. Do you want to travel across - or out of - the country, simply to go where the online company will have the best chance? I don't.

I'm not of the opinion that all online agreements are horrible. I simply feel that more people should be made aware just what they are doing when they click that little button.