Facebook & Twitter instructed to simplify conditions of use
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are being instructed to simplify their terms and conditions under a new crackdown on obtuse legalese.
A committee of MPs have dubbed the present system as overly long and largely impenetrable leaving most users entirely oblivious to how their personal details may be used and what their rights are – likening attempts to do so as ‘engaging with Shakespeare’.
Instead of focussing on protecting the companies from courtroom writs the MPs suggest instead that they need to convey information more succinctly and in plain English.
Recalling a recent episode when Facebook manipulated users newsfeeds in a social ‘experiment committee chair Andrew Miller said it ‘ highlighted serious concerns about the extent to which ticking the 'terms and conditions' box can be said to constitute informed consent when it comes to the varied ways data is now being used by many websites and apps’.
In response the government is being urged to draw up a set of standards to which all organisations dealing in personal data must adhere to.