Privacy policies are no joke when it comes to how lengthy they are. Most people ignore them altogether because they’re too long. Get this: It would take about nine hours to read the privacy policies of the top 20 most visited websites in the U.S.
If you thought that was a chore, it would take about 47 hours to properly review the privacy policies of the 96 most frequently visited websites monthly in the U.S. Getting through it all would be a full-time job. A minimum-wage worker would earn roughly $338.14 in that time frame!
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have two extra work weeks lying around. Unfortunately, we can’t just kick long privacy policies to the curb. Let’s dive into the rest of the study and provide practical, time-saving tips for reviewing these lengthy docs.
Too long, didn’t read
Researchers reviewed the privacy policies of the top 20 websites in 19 countries. They counted the number of words in each and determined how long it would take to read them.
The study revealed that Facebook and Instagram had the longest policies, made up of 19,434 words. It would take an estimated 82 minutes to read through them. However, researchers did say they were easy to read.
X (Twitter), Discord and Reddit were also easy to digest. X’s privacy policy has 4,175 words to get through. On the other hand, researchers found the policies of Zoom, Wikipedia and Netflix scored poorly on length and readability.
Around the world
In other countries, privacy policies can be even longer. Because of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), European countries have to include more information which makes them super-wordy.
But, researchers found privacy policies are “dramatically shorter” in South Korea. Are they cutting corners or just better writers?
A country with more detailed rights and stricter requirements means privacy policies must include every last detail to keep a company out of hot water. The downside is that it puts a bigger responsibility on the consumer to make sure they understand it all.
Luckily, we have some ways to help you cut through the fluff.
Cut to the chase
It would be nice if we could wave a magic wand to make every privacy policy as readable as possible. The next best thing? Ease the burden with some down-to-earth tips:
- Time-saving tip: Use the CTRL F function on your keyboard to do a quick search for buzzwords like “sell,” “partners” and “affiliates.” Pay attention to vague words and phrases like “may,” which could indicate data misuse.
- Look for data collection: Find sections like “How we collect your personal data” to see what a company gathers from you and how they do it.
- Pay attention to data usage: Search for things like “How we use your personal information” to get the company’s take on why they need your data in the first place. Phrases like “business purposes” could mean they share it with third parties.
- Watch for location tracking: Look for words like “geolocation” and “geotargeting” to find out if your location information is collected.
- Protect the kids: Watch for references to “COPPA” or the “Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act” to see how a company protects your child’s data.
Even easier, there’s a site that does it for you. Terms of Service Didn’t Read is a site and browser add-on that summarizes the key points before you hit “agree.”
A few hits to leave you with: Reddit reads your private messages. Amazon can change terms at any time without giving you notice. YouTube views your browser history. And PayPal tracks you, even if you opt out of tracking.
Another smart privacy step
Data brokers collect your Social Security number, birthdate, address, health info, contact details, you name it — and sell it to the highest bidder. It’s nearly impossible to remove all that from the web yourself.
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I’ve removed myself from countless sites over the years. And trust me when I say it’s a pain. New ones always pop up, and it’s impossible to keep up on your own. That’s why I now let Incogni take care of it for me — and I negotiated a special deal for you to try it out, too.
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