New Terms Of Use For "Free" Software

This applies to a lot of 'free' software, including many of the 'free' philatelic websites...

<rant>
Windows 10 has a 'built-in' weather app with a live radar. With severe summer thunderstorms forecasted for today and the sound of distant rumblings, I thought I better call up the radar and see what is coming.

After I launch the app, a MS pop-up window announces that there is a revised 'Terms Of Use'. Because I was not born yesterday and know that there is no such thing as a 'free' app, I figure that I better read up and see how they are selling my personal information (especially to 3rd party entities).

Well, the new Terms Of Use for this small weather app is 46 page long! As an educated person and a speed reader fan, this thing took me almost 20 minutes to read through. Full of legalese and legal double speak, I often had to stop and look up various terms and wording. Frankly, I would be more comfortable if my lawyer actually did reviewed this document.

Is the approach to make these Terms Of Use a wall of text so they folks do not read them? Or is this the result of litigious society and a corporation trying to protect itself? Either way, it sucks rotten eggs.
</rant>

Don

Nobody reads these "agreements."

TOS agreements require giving up first born—and users gladly consent
Study says participants also agreed to allow data sharing with NSA and employers.

more:

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/...adly-consent

I believe this (or something similar) was on Australian news within the last week or so.
Some popular software, (cannot recall which) I think it was something to do with putting peoples faces on cartoon bodies? something like that.

The legalise apparently had the right to use the user's image and details forever, for infinity, and for whatever reason they deemed fit for.

I think it was debated on the Australian TV forum "The Drum"

Hi

I don't know about anyone else. My biggest complaint is the idiot who calls, says he is from MicroSoft and says that my computer is putting garbage on the internet. I told one I don't have a computer and the response was "Are You Sure?"

Are there people that gullible that would believe a call like this?

Sometimes I would ask a question on a development site. I login using my cat's name. He has already overdrawn 3 or 4 bank accounts.

I do use some "free" software packages that I had to register. They are from Australia and Germany. I must admit I did not read the terms of use.

Don: I believe all legal documents are written for lawyers, not us in the trenches. I worked at a company that said I could not work for any company that used their software. According to that I could not work at 7-11 as they used POS terminals. They finally gave me a document from their lawyer saying it was alright to work at the other company. That took, if I remember, 10 pages of legalese.

I once asked my lawyer, if lawyers took a course in how to confuse a client with the written word. He just laughed.

Jerry B


Jerry B

Hi Jerry,
Indeed, I hate those calls too. I keep a airhorn here on my desk and when I get any kind of robo calls I blast them. But a new US law now allows phone companies and internet providers to track and block these calls.
https://futurism.com/the-byte/law-s...-criminalize

They was also a recent crack down on robocalls
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/pre...down-illegal
Don

Hi Don

If it is a RoboCaller, I am afraid the air horn won't do. However, it will help with the idiot telling me my computer is spitting out garbage. Gotta check WalMart

I have a piece of software from Sysinternals called TCPVIEW. I can watch where the computer is connecting.

If you don't know about it, here is the link:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sy...ernals-suite

Jerry B

We never answer the house phone unless we recognize the number. Very few robocallers will leave a message. Spectrum often ends them on first ring.

I get an local county community watch (crime events) report and notice how many think buying gift cards is a standard method of payment.

The long license agreements mean lawyers.

A few years ago I received one of the Microsoft calls, probably the third one that week, and having some free time decided to "play" the caller.
After telling me that he was calling about "the Windows", I immediately responded along the lines of: "oh no is it serious, I am so worried now, what will I do?".

He informed me that it was very serious, but not to panic as he was there to help me sort it out.

I then acted the extreme computer illiterate, firstly telling him that my computer was off, and asking if I needed to switch it on, for the most part, he was very patient, although he asked a number of times what my computer was doing after I had supposedly had switched it on, and each time I responded with: it says it is "Loading Windows". After keeping him hanging on for about 5 minutes I informed him that it was up and running.

He then tried to get me to load Internet Explorer by clicking on the icon on the desktop, but after me taking some time describing each and every icon on my desktop in detail, he eventually concluded that the IE icon was not to be found there and instead walked me through running it from the menu. Needless to say, being the computer klutz I am, this was not a quick undertaking.

Success! Eventually, I managed to open Internet Explorer and he had me attempt to go to some web site. After repeatedly getting the error "Internet Explorer cannot display the web page", he had me try and check my internet settings to which I eventually responded, "But, I don't have the Internet, do I need to have the Internet for this to work?".
He was outraged, saying "How can you not have the internet, everybody has the internet, why are you wasting my time?".
To which I replied, "Because you are criminal SCUM" to which he yelled, just before slamming the phone down, "you f... idiot, you can't even be speaking proper English, the word is SCAM, not SCUM!".

Clive

The calls regarding computer viruses always seem to come from the 516 area code (Long Island, NY). I no longer answer any calls on my cell if I don't recognize the number, which is a pain because so few people who call have the sense to leave a voicemail.

i do not answer cell phone calls I do not recognize. if your call is not important enough to leave a message I have no use for it.

I'm with "m and m".

However, when I am bored, I answer my phone with: "This call is being recorded. Please state your full name, your phone number, the company name,and leave a brief message".

Nine time out of ten, they have hung up before I finish.

I worked at Microsoft for years. They never cold-call, not to warn about viruses or security risks, to sell products, or anything else. They'll only call you if you contact them first and authorize them to call you.

If Microsoft is aware of new malware or threats affecting Windows machines, they will push an update to their security tools (like Windows Defender) so users download and install it automatically. They have no reason to warn users by telephone, when they can update their anti-malware software remotely.

Any other software company that makes anti-virus tools works similarly: calling users would be far too slow to address cyberthreats, when simply pushing an update/patch fixes the issue. Should be obvious, but just in case anybody reading still wonders about these calls, they are 110% bogus.

Hi
While we are at it.

Another way I found to make them hangup is my answer:
"Good morning (or afternoon) you have reached the Federal Communications Commission". Fast hang up.

I had one where for $100 he could fix my computer so it stops infecting the internet. I asked if he could wait until I come back from the store as I have to go buy one. Another hangup.

These people must have nerves of steel.

Jerry B

My staff tends to just put these people on hold... The longer they are on hold, the fewer people they are ripping off.