Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

You Can't Afford to Read the Fine Print

Actually reading online privacy policies would cost $365B per year

By Sarah Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 12, 2008 5:39 PM CDT

(Newser) – No one bothers to read websites' online privacy policies. But if Americans did—just once a year for each site they visit—it would take 200 hours per person, amounting to $365 billion worth of lost time, Ars Technica reports. That may all be theoretical, but the researchers behind the study say it points to the ridiculous impenetrability of such policies.

"Websites need to do a better job of conveying their practices in usable ways, which includes reducing the time it takes to read policies," one analyst said. If companies can't do better, "regulation may be necessary to provide basic privacy protections."

The  study's authors estimate it could take from 16 to 444 hours per person per year to read Web sites' privacy policies once.
The study's authors estimate it could take from 16 to 444 hours per person per year to read Web sites' privacy policies once.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
The mean length of privacy policies from the web's most popular sites was 2,514 words, long enough to induce eyestrain even in the biggest privacy nerd.
The mean length of privacy policies from the web's most popular sites was 2,514 words, long enough to induce eyestrain even in the biggest privacy nerd.   (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Malaria Kills Twice as Many as We Thought: Study

Stradivarius' Powers Just a Musical Myth

Biblical Angels Were Just 'Lucid Dreams'

Character Trait Makes for a Mean Drunk

Google's Photo ID Feature Calms Privacy Fears


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne