F1(a). Access to terms of service

The company should offer terms of service that are easy to find and easy to understand.

Elements:

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

• Easy to find — The terms of service or privacy policy is located one or two clicks away from the homepage of the company or service, or is located in a logical place where users are likely to find it.

• Easy to understand / understandable manner — The company has taken steps to help users actually understand its terms of service and privacy policy. 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.
• Terms of service — This document may also be called Terms of Use, Terms and Conditions, etc. The terms of service “often provide the necessary ground rules for how various online services should be used,” as stated by the EFF, and represent a legal agreement between the company and the user. Companies can take action against users and their content based on information in the terms of service. Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation, “Terms of (Ab)use” https://www.eff.org/issues/terms-of-abuse
  

Indicator guidance: A company’s terms of service outline the relationship between the user and the company. These terms contain rules about prohibited content and activities and companies can also take action against users for violating the rules described in the terms. Given this, we expect companies to ensure that the terms are easy to access and understand.

This indicator evaluates if the company’s terms are easy for users to locate.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.

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