Terms and conditions suck. The TLDR Act might help

The TLDR Act would force tech companies to break legal jargon into understandable language, and be more transparent about data collection.

When’s the last time you actually read the terms and conditions on a website?

Terms and conditions suck. The TLDR Act might help

Yeah, me neither.

Lawmakers feel our pain, and a bipartisan bill is in the works that would force tech companies to make their terms easier to understand, per The Verge.

The TLDR Act…

… stands for Terms-of-service Labeling, Design and Readability. The act will force companies to provide a summary statement that makes their terms and conditions easier to understand.

Along with simplifying legal jargon into accessible language, the summaries will highlight:

  • Any data breaches in the last 3 years
  • Any personal data that the site collects
  • If and how consumers can delete their data

Why now?

The act follows the testimony of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, which revealed alarming practices happening inside Meta’s properties, Facebook and Instagram.

As a result, lawmakers are pushing for more transparency from tech companies across the board.

The bad news? Now instead of blindly agreeing to whatever the terms of service entail — you may have to actually read something.

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