terms of service

The Internet: Understanding Terms of Use

By Aysë Stenabaugh

Whether you are hitting the streets or surfing the web there are always a set of rules or laws that govern us and are intended to promote “acceptable behavior”. Most of us are well aware of the basic guidelines that exist in public spaces for example no shirt, no shoes, no service, but how does those same rules and guidelines translate to the online world? In most cases when you sign-up to use a website you will typically need to agree to terms of use in order to use the website or service. The terms of use on each website can very significantly and there are some general rules you may not be aware of that when broken, can affect your ability to use that website or service.

Social Media and other Online Accounts typically require that you enter in your legal name, a valid email address or phone number and in some cases your date of birth. Some websites require this information to ensure that you are who you say you are and so that someone cannot easily misrepresent you. Failure to provide a valid phone number or email address may make it difficult or impossible for you to get back into your account and often support options for these websites are extremely limited.

If you are on social media, or more specifically Facebook, you may already be aware of the term Facebook jail. Facebook has a set of policies called community standards that have been put together to help determine what behavior/content is appropriate based on feedback from users and experts in various fields. When you send messages, post, or share content that does not follow Facebook standards, your account can be restricted or blocked. Facebook will typically give users warnings and opportunities to correct their behavior however repeated actions can lead to your account being permanently banned. Detailed information on the community standards can be found at Facebook.com/communitystandards which is broken down into six categories: Violence and Criminal Behavior, Safety, Objectional Content, Integrity, and Authenticity, Respecting Intellectual Property, and Content-Related Requests and Decisions.

Some users are surprised to find privacy concerns when divulging into the details of the terms. Therefore, it is best to consider the adage “nothing comes without a price” and while some countries like those in the EU offer additional privacy protections that big tech companies must follow – the US does not. This means that you could be agreeing to anything from being shown advertisements that are based on how you are using the web to agreeing to receive email solicitations from third-party advertisers. In 2017 Purple ( a UK hotspot service provider) intentionally buried unexpected caveats in their terms and those who utilized their services unknowingly signed up to clean toilets, paint snail shells, hug stray cats and dogs, and more. Of course, they never had the intention of following through with the agreement users made when connecting to their network, but it sure makes one think.

One area that is often overlooked involves children and their online activities. As a parent, with today’s technology, it can be challenging to keep up with what our kids are doing and how their actions may affect them. Online accounts with basic security can easily be taken and often even as adults we are tricked into handing over our precious personal information in a moment of weakness. One feature that can be enabled on most accounts is two-step verification which can ensure that no unauthorized users are gaining access to an account by requiring a second verification code via email or phone when logging in.
We strongly recommend discussing with your children the importance of account security. This is also a great opportunity to discuss the terms of use on the platforms your child is using. It is important for both parent and child to understand what could happen to the accounts if rules are broken. For example, if your child plays Xbox, PlayStation, Roblox, or any other online gaming platform and were to break the rules they could get their account suspended or banned. Factor into account all of the digital games, virtual currency, and achievements tied to that account those accounts and you will have one very upset kid on your hands if the account is lost forever.

If you find yourself with technology questions or are looking for computer repair or support, contact Jester’s Computer Services located in Fairfield PA. You can reach us at (717) 642-6611 on our website www.jesterscomputers.com or on Facebook.