Audio By Carbonatix
The combined terms and conditions of 13 top apps including TikTok, WhatsApp and Zoom would take 17 hours and five minutes to read, a firm has estimated.
The documents contain a joint total of 128,415 words - longer than any one of the first three Harry Potter novels.
The longest was Microsoft Teams at 18,282 words - or two-and-a-half hours of reading time for many people.
What a way to end the week: Getting @thinkmoney on @BBCNews! 🔥
— Evolved Search (@evolved_search) November 6, 2020
Check it out: https://t.co/G4Dh7OT08Q
In 2018, a BBC study found that several website policies required university education levels of reading ability.
It is not possible to use the services without agreeing to the terms.
Other long documents discovered by thinkmoney included Candy Crush (14,189 words), Twitter (11,022) and Facebook (8,588). The word count included both terms and conditions and privacy policies.
The shortest on the list was Google Meet with 4,717 words.
Privacy researcher Stephanie Hare said that both the length and language used in such statements made them difficult for adults and children to be able to make informed consent about what they were agreeing to - and the only alternative was to not use the app at all.
"Consent implies choice, but choice is not what's on offer. It is difficult, if not impossible, for most of us to work and live today without using a smartphone, computer and other devices that allow us to transact online," she said.
Latest Stories
-
India express train kills seven elephants crossing tracks
8 minutes -
TTU’s number-one ranking due to research commitment – Vice-Chancellor
9 minutes -
US pursuing third oil tanker linked to Venezuela, official says
18 minutes -
At least 13 photos removed from justice department Epstein files website
28 minutes -
Margins sets example in Urban Renewal and Climate Resilience
31 minutes -
Rights groups condemn new record number of executions in Saudi Arabia
38 minutes -
Another 130 abducted schoolchildren released in Nigeria
47 minutes -
Ken Ofori-Atta and Ghana’s Loudest Trial Before Evidence
54 minutes -
What if plastics could feed people, not pollute them?
57 minutes -
Malaysia court dismisses ex-PM’s bid to serve sentence under house arrest
57 minutes -
NPP’s Irene Naa Torshie rallies Volta Region delegates behind Kennedy Agyapong
1 hour -
South Korea parliament passes bill to launch probe into 2024 Jeju Air crash
1 hour -
Vote for me on the basis of my competence, track record, integrity and vision – Bawumia appeals to NPP delegates
1 hour -
I never take anything for granted; I believe in working hard for Success – Bawumia on engaging delegates nationwide
1 hour -
Alex Iwobi says Afcon is a special football tournament
1 hour
