Any EULA experts here?

[lman]

I have, many times, for both work and personal use. I'm of the same opinion as @hayden. Many have links to other documents that include further rights for them. Almost all include the rights to sell any and all of your information to anybody that they might care to do so for pretty much any purpose, up to the limit of the law, and sometimes beyond if the agreement has not been appropriately modified for end user location. Europe and California come to mind.

My favorite was one EULA that included the rights to your first born male son, or his earnings. They caught a lot of press for it, and at the time, it wasn't clear what their intent was.

Despite being boilerplate, companies have historically prevailed in their rights in EULA. In almost all cases, you are not getting ownership, you are getting a usage right, that may be terminated.

Then you have Facebook's creation of shadow profiles of non-users, based on using information from Facebook's current users. So far, there hasn't been a legal precedent to delete the shadow profiles data.

What Are Facebook Shadow Profiles, and Should You Be Worried? - UMA Technology

Facebook shadow profiles are data collections that include information about users that they did not provide.

umatechnology.org

Even if you’re not signed up, Facebook has a shadow profile for you

“Can someone who does not have a Facebook account opt out of data collection?”

www.theverge.com

Personally, I think that if someone has EULA concerns, that they shouldn't be using the software in question. The EULA coverage is generally very broad, in my purely non-legal, amateur opinion, and should not be relied upon.

All the best,

Peter

So after reading these EULA's did you decide not to use any of these products based on what was stated in their EULA?

 

[ponytug]

So after reading these EULA's did you decide not to use any of these products based on what was stated in their EULA?

So, upfront, I am not an attorney, and don't play one in movies.

If there is overreach for data, or egregious requirements around the licensing, yes, many times. I include in that list some manufacturers of equipment that come with EULA, like vehicles. A certain pair of US manufacturers would be at the top of that list for not even adhering to the EULA they put forward.

These days, I think that there are reasonable alternatives to pretty much everything. As a recent example, there are several fire warning apps around, and I got a door tag from the fire department pushing one of them. One app, the one endorsed by the local fire agencies, is run by a private group with a demanding EULA and privacy policy (perhaps more appropriately labeled as a geolocated data demand), and one from a non-profit that doesn't collect personal data. Guess which one I would choose? For business use, if there wasn't a credible alternative, then I have always gone a different route. I have a thing about not using sole source items, from personal experience.

We could also have a discussion about software security, but that is rarely in the EULA, and if it is, usually with "don't blame us for defective products, or the damage that they might cause to your equipment" language.

All the best,

Peter

 

[M59]

I'm looking for a program/app that will scan a EULA and flag suspicious parts.

Newbury,
A EULA is a one sided document wholly in favor of the selling/ producing company that you have no standing to revise so presume the worst that any interaction with the software is reported back to the selling/ producing company. User beware!!

You can limit what get reported by proper configuration and management of the computer, gateway to internet, or your phone BUT that takes substantial understanding of system settings and considerable time for proper configuration.

Bottom line - Anything that is digital and talks to another location poses a risk of data exposure. Welcome to technology.