Many social
media sites, television companies, and online stores use the information they
retrieve from their users inappropriately and users often get scammed because
they do not read the "fine print". The main issue here are the Terms
of Service Agreements or Terms of Use Agreements that these major sites have
that are not mandatory to be read before the user hands out their information.
Most people don't bother reading them because of how long and boring they seem
(including myself), but some companies hide some scary information in them!
After some research, I've found five services that like to be sneaky with what
their users are agreeing to.
1. iTunes
When you
sign up for an iTunes account, which is basically mandatory if you own an
iPhone, you must accept the Terms of Service Agreements, but if you choose to
ignore the fine print, you won't know that you're accepting their use of geo
tracking. Geo tracking is Apple's way of knowing your precise location. The
location data that your phone stores is sent to a hidden database file that
syncs to your computer whenever you connect your phone.This means that
somewhere hidden on your computer is a log of everywhere you've been with a
longitude/latitude coordinate and a time stamp! Apple states that it exists to
"improve our services, content and advertising" but it seems a little
bit too scary to be just that. Source: http://live105.cbslocal.com/2012/02/15/6-scary-user-agreements-youve-most-likely-accepted/
2. Messenger app by Facebook
Facebook has
created an app designed for the signature messaging feature on their website,
but in the beginning, when only one app existed for the same experience as they
provide on the website, it was simpler! However, when they came out with
Messenger, it wasn't mandatory if you wanted to use the messaging feature while
using Facebook on your phone but now it is! It isn't possible to message people
on Facebook with your phone without the Messenger app, so it's an essential to
most people. Unfortunately, Facebook has been quite stealthy about what their
users are agreeing to after downloading this new app. If you have the app,
you're allowing the app to change the state of network connectivity, call phone
numbers and send SMS messages record audio, and take pictures and videos, at
any time, read your phone’s call log, including info about incoming and
outgoing calls, read your contact data, including who you call and email and how
often, read personal profile information stored on your device, access the
phone features of the device, like your phone number and device ID, and get a
list of accounts known by the phone, or other apps you use! Source:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/08/04/yes-the-facebook-messenger-app-requests-creepy-invasive-permissions-but-so-does-every-other-app/
3. Netflix/Amazon Prime
For services
like Netflix and Amazon Prime that require a monthly fee often provide the
consumer with a free trial, but later on, the free trail will usually notify
you as it's ending so you are aware. However, if you do not read the fine print
of their Terms of Service Agreements, you may have opted in for an automatic
renewal of your subscription! This is especially true for Netflix and Amazon
Prime that require your credit card information upon signing up for a free
trial. The company hopes that you will enjoy their service enough to continue
beyond the free trail, or forget that you signed up in the first place and they
may proceed to take your money anyways! Source:
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11375242/3/4-scary-terms-of-service-youll-click-anyway.html
4. Twitter
The social
media website Twitter is one of the most popular for its unique
"tweeting" feature and the ability to share many photos in seconds
and with a caption! However, their Terms of Service are hiding very important
information that should be known by all of its users who chose not to read
them. When you post an image to Twitter, you've agreed to allow them to
sub-license that photo! Their statement reads, “By submitting, posting or
displaying Content on or through the Services, you grant us a worldwide,
non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sub-license) to use,
copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and
distribute such Content in any and all media or distribution methods (now known
or later developed)."
Source:
http://photofocus.com/2010/10/12/photos-on-twitter-what-you-should-know/
5. Snapchat
The app
Snapchat is a very unique form of messaging with pictures that only last up to
ten seconds! However, the majority of its users don't bother to read through
the long text that is the Terms of Service Agreements and just skip through to
the sign-up process, even though there are a few secrets hidden by the company
that you may have agreed to. The new Terms of Service Agreements states that
with the images you share with your friends, they have the right to reproduce,
modify and republish them and save them to their servers, specifically in
relation to the "Live Story" feature! These images appear to only
last for twenty four hours, but not now that they can be stolen by Snapchat so
they can use them for their own purposes! After learning this, I hope that
people will be more careful about what they choose to share on Snapchat and
other social media sites that do this.
Source:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/snapchats-new-scary-privacy-policy-has-left-users-outraged-2015-10-29
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