The TLDR on the TLDR Act: a new bill that would make websites ditch the legalese

We’ve all done it. You sign up for a new social media site or are trying to buy something online and when the terms of service agreement pops up, you breeze past it faster than you blaze through a yellow light when you’re 20 minutes late to an appointment. Problem is: Those dense, dry, boring legal documents sometimes give companies the right to do a lot of things with your personal information. And in your haste to post or purchase, you sign away your rights without realizing it. It’s a practice that has been well known for years, but the testimony of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen has put legal terms of service in the spotlight—and now a bipartisan group of Congressional lawmakers are looking to help people know just what they’re agreeing to. The Terms-of-service Labeling, Design, and Readability Act—or, TLDR for short (who says Congress can’t be funny)—introduced Thursday, would require websites and online services to provide an easily digestible summary of their terms—without the legalese. (For a bill entitled TLDR, at 9 pages and about 1,800 words, it’s a little TMI.) “For far too long, blanket terms of service agreements have forced consumers to either ‘agree’ to all of a company’s conditions or lose access to a website or app entirely,” said Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA), a sponsor of the House version of the bill, in a statement. “To further slant the decision in their favor, many companies design unnecessarily long and complicated contracts, knowing that users don’t have the bandwidth to read lengthy legal documents when they’re simply trying to message a loved one or make a quick purchase. The potential for abuse is obvious, and . . . this is a problem that transcends political parties.” Data privacy is another big concern. “Users should not have to comb through pages of legal jargon in a website’s terms of services to know how their data will be used,” added Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who’s sponsoring the bill in the Senate. “Requiring companies to provide an easy-to-understand summary of their terms should be mandatory and is long overdue.” In the spirit of TLDR, here’s a quick look at what the TLDR Act would require:

What type of consumer information the site is collecting Whether the data the company collects is necessary to provide their service A graphic diagram of how the consumer’s data is shared with third parties Instructions on how consumers can delete their data—or a warning if they’re unable to delete it The legal liabilities of a consumer using the service (i.e. rights to their content, mandatory arbitration, and class action waivers) Disclosures about any reported data breaches within the last three years

The bill, if enacted, would be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90712974/tldr-act-bill-terms-conditions-contracts-congress?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Vytvořeno 3y | 13. 1. 2022 23:21:18


Chcete-li přidat komentář, přihlaste se

Ostatní příspěvky v této skupině

Space and defense tech firm Voyager raises $382.8 million in IPO

Voyager Technologies raised $382.8 million in its U.S. initial public offering, the space and defense tech company said on Tuesday, amid a

11. 6. 2025 18:50:03 | Fast company - tech
Hinge is teaming up with Esther Perel to rethink dating prompts

Need help sparking conversation on Hinge? Esther Perel has some questions for you.

The renowned ps

11. 6. 2025 14:20:05 | Fast company - tech
Gen Z is embracing a digital detox and the ‘Martha Stewart summer’

If last summer was for the 365 party girl, this year it’s all about the digital detox.

At least that’s according to

11. 6. 2025 14:20:04 | Fast company - tech
Databricks’ new ‘One’ dashboard brings AI to the business class (exclusive)

Databricks, known for secure data storage and AI, has launched a new AI business intelligence dashboard

11. 6. 2025 14:20:04 | Fast company - tech
Mark Zuckerberg’s superintelligence gamble: Can billions and bold hires save Meta’s AI ambitions?

Mark Zuckerberg has decided he wants to claw back lost ground in the AI race, and he’s willing to spend heavily to do it.

The Meta CEO is

11. 6. 2025 14:20:02 | Fast company - tech
Teaching AI isn’t enough—we need to teach wisdom, too

Artificial intelligence is shaking the intellectual, emotional, and economic foundations of the world. A glance at mainstream or social media confirms that the

11. 6. 2025 11:50:03 | Fast company - tech
Boomerang CEO Aye Moah helped manage our inboxes. Now she’s taking on our calendars

It’s become increasingly common for people to devote

11. 6. 2025 11:50:03 | Fast company - tech