Terms of service: why accepting anything costs you

Terms of service and privacy policies are long, we know. But they describe what the service is allowed to do with your data. Accepting everything on autopilot is like signing a contract without reading it.

Spotting the essentials without reading it all

Focus on a few key questions: what data is collected, who it's shared with, and whether you can delete it. Many services also offer finer privacy settings than a plain 'accept everything'.

Consent should be a real choice, not a trap. You have the right to refuse anything that isn't essential to the service, such as certain targeted ads or data sharing with third parties.

Your settings, not the defaults

After signing up, take two minutes to go into the privacy settings and switch off what you don't need. Default options rarely favour your privacy: it's up to you to take back control.