• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechTerms of Service

This Stunt Will Show How Absurd Terms of Service Are

By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Meyer
David Meyer
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 23, 2016, 9:04 AM ET
Inside An Orange SA Mobile Phone Store
Photograph by Balint Porneczi — Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Norwegian consumer authority has been making waves recently by targeting Runkeeper and Tinder over their privacy deficiencies, and now it hopes to highlight one of the tech world’s biggest failures with a deliberately mind-numbing stunt.

On Tuesday, the watchdog will begin hosting a live-streamed reading of the terms of service and privacy policies for all the apps found on an average mobile phone in Norway—33 in total. It says the reading will probably last over 24 hours, as the combined texts are longer than the New Testament.

The point of all this is to show how crazy it is for anyone to expect people to really read the terms of service and privacy policies for which they must click “I agree” in order to use the app.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“The current state of terms and conditions for digital services is bordering on the absurd. Their scope, length and complexity mean it is virtually impossible to make good and informed decisions,” said Finn Myrstad, the Norwegian Consumer Council’s digital policy director.

“When we also know that apps often take away our rights by granting themselves the power to unilaterally amend the contract and licensing themselves to track, store and sell on user content, it is self-evident that consumers are put at a disadvantage.”

Terms of service and privacy policies are, of course, written by lawyers to make sure their companies are covered as they go about doing what they do. Their legibility for regular people is in many cases an afterthought.

For more on app privacy, watch:

According to the Norwegian watchdog, those writing the documents should avoid legal terms where possible, keep things as concise as possible, structure the text to make it easy to read, and “avoid writing whole paragraphs using capital letters.”

Industry standards for comprehensible terms and policies would also be very helpful, it added.

A campaign called “Terms of Service; Didn’t Read” or “TOS;DR” is tackling much the same issue, while illustrator Robert Sikoryak last year released a graphic-novel rendition of Apple’s (AAPL) iTunes terms and conditions.

About the Author
By David Meyer
LinkedIn icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Chess master and co-founder of Chess.com, Danny Rensch
SuccessEntrepreneurs
Chess.com cofounder says it took a pinch of delusion to bring the traditional game online—and it’s a ‘requirement for every successful entrepreneur’
By Emma BurleighDecember 14, 2025
3 hours ago
JPMorganChase CEO Jamie Dimon says AI will eliminate jobs—and that soft skills will be more important than ever.
Future of WorkTech
Jamie Dimon says soft skills like emotional intelligence and communication are vital as AI eliminates roles
By Nino PaoliDecember 14, 2025
5 hours ago
AIchief executive officer (CEO)
Microsoft AI boss Suleyman opens up about his peers and calls Elon Musk a ‘bulldozer’ with ‘superhuman capabilities to bend reality to his will’
By Jason MaDecember 13, 2025
15 hours ago
InvestingStock
There have been head fakes before, but this time may be different as the latest stock rotation out of AI is just getting started, analysts say
By Jason MaDecember 13, 2025
20 hours ago
Politicsdavid sacks
Can there be competency without conflict in Washington?
By Alyson ShontellDecember 13, 2025
21 hours ago
InnovationRobots
Even in Silicon Valley, skepticism looms over robots, while ‘China has certainly a lot more momentum on humanoids’
By Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressDecember 13, 2025
22 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs are taxes and they were used to finance the federal government until the 1913 income tax. A top economist breaks it down
By Kent JonesDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
40% of Stanford undergrads receive disability accommodations—but it’s become a college-wide phenomenon as Gen Z try to succeed in the current climate
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The Fed just ‘Trump-proofed’ itself with a unanimous move to preempt a potential leadership shake-up
By Jason MaDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple CEO Tim Cook out-earns the average American’s salary in just 7 hours—to put that into context, he could buy a new $439,000 home in just 2 days
By Emma BurleighDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
18 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.