Interesting links, sandogg.
The idea of using software to analyse TOS hadn't occurred to me. I wonder how well it works? - I must check out the sites you linked to. One amusing thought, though : make sure you check the TOS on those sites before you use their analysis tools!!
Further to my last post, I'd just like to add that I always used to follow the No.1 rule : "
Always read the contract & small-print before you sign anything". But of course, that was before use of the internet became so popular. Things have changed since then, & now TOS are much longer, especially if they have anything to do with websites (covering spamming, DOS attacks, illegal content....the list is endless) & as I said, what about those bloomin' scroll boxes?!! You never used to get them when the contract was written on a good old bit of paper.
And now a signature can just be a simple tick in a box. So much quicker to do, & it feels so much more anonymous that it lulls you into a false sense of security/ immunity.
Finally, & further to sandogg's idea of using analysis software. There is another method which might help you avoid agreeing to any dodgy TOS. Use the fact that you're online to your advantage. Use Google to search for sites where people have reviewed or discussed the company that you are dealing with, including any discussion of its service & TOS. If there is anything dodgy or devious about the company, chances are that someone will have complained about it online. They've often even started a dedicated grudge website!
But don't forget that reading a TOS before you sign it isn't just to protect you from potential financial losses & scams, it is also to make you aware of your obligations &, in the cases of X10hosting & similar, to make you aware of what you need to
actively do to keep your service operational. Points such as those aren't, I suspect, so easy to find in a TOS with analysis software or Google!
