In the world of internet and websites, we come across many terms asking for our consent for the continued use of the site. There are also privacy policies, disclaimers and many other legal texts that we are expected to study thoroughly.

We all know that if we use software for your business, we should read all the terms of use and related texts carefully before we consent to its use. But we also know that we are not going to read through all the pages of the iTunes App Store Agreement for example. Is there an alternative way to study the essential terms of use, privacy policy and disclaimer?

To start with, pay attention to the terms of use and the user agreements and be especially careful how you distribute your information and data to third parties (companies affiliated with the owner of the site that we visit).

As visitors of a site, we need to opt out if we do not wish to receive newsletters or if we want to unsubscribe from a service that is provided by a site.

We also need to observe the provisions relating to the settlement of disputes arising from the use of the site (e.g. provisions on arbitration, applicable law, competent courts, etc).

We need to be careful if there is a waiver of the exercise of our rights or if we declare a waiver of any claim against the company that runs the site we visit.

Furthermore, before pressing the ‘I agree’ button, we should do a quick search or just press CTRL + F for such terms as ‘third parties and affiliates’ (associates), ‘opt out’ (non-selection), ‘arbitration’, ‘applicable law/jurisdiction’, and ‘waiver’ or “waive” (resignation exercise of rights).

Needless to say there is not always time to study all these texts. Nevertheless, we should not under any circumstances ignore the terms of use, privacy policy and disclaimer of each site, especially if the user is a business or a corporate entity entering into a business agreement.

Chryssa Tsiotsi is a lawyer specialising in information technology and telecommunications laws.