doug — off the record

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Terms of Use

I had a long conversation with a friend of mine recently about terms of use of websites.

These are the things that you see when you install software.  You know; you go out and buy $100 of software and then have to agree to the terms of the vendor before you use it.  Essentially, it’s a summary of your obligations as an end user of the product.  In some cases, the language up front lets you know that this is a legally binding agreement between you and the vendor that you enter into by clicking agree.

Many websites have their terms and conditions that you acknowledge acceptance of when you use the site.  Sometimes, it’s in the sign up when you create an account or, often, it’s just a piece of legal text that you have to go looking for.  But, when you read it, it does have some implications that shouldn’t be ignored.

For example, from the YouTube website, comes this from their terms and use, Section 5.

From the Google website, comes this from their terms of service, Section 2.

 

The list goes on and on.  What are the implications of these terms and from other websites for those in education?
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dougpete

The content of this blog is created by me at the keyboard or as a result of an aggregator of my daily reading under the title OTR Links. On Fridays, look for my signature post “This Week in Ontario Edublogs” where I try to share some great writing from Ontario Educators. The other regular post appears Sunday mornings as I try to start a conversation about things that have gone missing from our daily lives.

3 responses to “Terms of Use”

  1. Barbara McLaughlin Avatar
    Barbara McLaughlin

    Doug, I really think this is a conversation that we as educators should be having.
    I believe we need to model appropriate behaviour, to students, admin, parents and community, which means abiding by the law of the digital land.
    However, I applaud all my colleagues who challenge and push the filter and legal boundaries; that is where the shift resides.
    Bottom line for me, I’ll champion for change, but model adherence.

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  2. Terry Freedman Avatar
    Terry Freedman

    I think all websites should have terms of use: it seems to me that that is the professional approach. And if educators were to adopt the practice more generally, it would be more likely to encourage students — and their teachers — to actually read terms of use statements so that they can decide to NOT use a facility in certain circumstances.

    For example, if you look at the terms and conditions of submitting materials to some websites to share with other teachers, you will discover that the company reserves the right to reuse your material and even sell it, without even an acknowledgement let alone payment. I don’t mind giving away stuff, but I do mind if someone I gave it to then sells it, and without even acknowledging me as the author!

    So it’s important to raise awareness of such issues I think.

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  3. Rory McGreal Avatar
    Rory McGreal

    Terms of use and the restrictions they impose are just another argument for using open source and open access materials.

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