F1. Access to terms of service

1. Are the company’s terms of service easy to find?
2. Are the terms of service available in the language(s) most commonly spoken by the company’s users?
3. Are the terms of service presented in an understandable manner?

TA company’s terms of service outline the relationship between the user and the company. The terms contain rules for what activities and content users are permitted to engage in and share on a company’s services, and as such, these terms can directly affect users’ freedom of expression rights. Companies can also take action against users for violating the conditions described in the terms. Given this, we expect companies to ensure that users can easily locate these terms and understand what they mean.

This indicator expects companies to provide terms of service that are easy to find, are available in the languages of the primary markets in which the company operates, and to ensure that the policies are easy to understand. If the company offers multiple products and services, it should be clear to what products and services the terms apply.

A document that is easy to find is located on the homepage of the company or service, or one or two clicks away from the homepage, or in a logical place where users can expect to find it. The terms should also be available in the major language(s) of the primary operating market. In addition, we expect a company to take steps to help users understand the information presented in their documents. This includes, but is not limited to, providing summaries, tips, or guidance that explain what the terms mean, using section headers, readable font size, or other graphic features to help users understand the document, or writing the terms using readable syntax.

This indicator includes a review of other documents such as “community guidelines” or service-specific rules that further explain to users what the terms mean. Privacy policies are not included in this indicator since they are covered in separate indicators in the “Privacy” category.

Potential sources:

• Company terms of service, terms of use, terms and conditions, etc.
• Company acceptable use policy, community guidelines, rules, etc.