Week 7 - Unaware Consent

A Terms of Service (TOS) is a document that details the responsibilities of a service provider and the user obligations that must be followed in order to continue to provide the service. Users who do not comply with the terms of service will be terminated. Many websites and apps publish their terms of service. Terms of service should include the rights and responsibilities of users. And it should also be transparent about all service activities that are meaningful to users, such as details of how the service handles user data and how the service maintains user privacy and security.

TOS can specify what users can expect from a service so that they cannot claim ignorance about something they later object to. Likewise, specifying intolerable behavior can make it easier for service providers to get rid of problematic users who might otherwise claim they were unfairly terminated. Removing someone from a service that provides a pipeline to an audience is sometimes called deplatforming. Typically, TOS are usually presented to users in the form of pop-up windows for review, but service providers may not ask users to confirm that they have read them. In such case, continued use of the Services will be deemed agreement to these Terms. However, even in cases where users must claim to have read the Terms of Service, they often do not do so because the documents are often long and the relevant details may not be highlighted.