Norway Readathon of Terms of Use for Apps Lasts 32 Hours

When you click "I agree" so you can go ahead and use your new app, do you know what you're agreeing to?

Norwegian consumer protection agency Forbrukerrådet is concerned that you don't. In order to point out the absurdity of complex user agreements, they recently hosted a reading on their website, where users read out loud, in their entirety, terms and conditions for the apps most typically found on a smartphone, including Facebook, Twitter, iTunes, Tinder, Instagram, and 28 others.

The pile of documents—260,000 words long—took 31 hours and 49 minutes to read, a feat that can hardly be expected of the average consumer. The most disturbing things they found were clauses stipulating that whatever you create with an app, be it pictures, videos, texts, or chats, is completely owned by the company.

The stunt was inspired by Norway's "Slow-TV" trend, where shows that consist of nothing but a long train journey or a crackling fire are broadcast to rapt, patient audiences. However, in this case, the intended message was not to calm, but to highlight a need for action to combat long, confusing, unfair, and sometimes illegal consumer agreement contracts.

[h/t The Local Norway]