{"id":93836,"date":"2019-01-14T14:04:34","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T22:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=93836"},"modified":"2025-08-30T02:48:53","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T09:48:53","slug":"stop-read-tcs-then-sign-up-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/stop-read-tcs-then-sign-up-on-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"STOP. Read T&Cs. Then Sign Up on Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201c<\/em>Let\u2019s start at the very beginning,<\/em><\/p>\n

A very good place to start;<\/em><\/p>\n

When you read, you begin with A-B-C,<\/em><\/p>\n

When you sign up on SM you begin by<\/em><\/p>\n

Reading T&Cs\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The start of a new year usually has a buoyant and positive feel, like you have been offered a new opportunity to start things fresh, and make amends.<\/p>\n

Experience has taught us that nothing comes for free; and that it\u2019s always good to run a thorough background check on a new group you plan to join. This applies to social media platforms as well. When we sign up on a new social media platform, we are asked for our names, email and other personal information and then directed to the terms and conditions page which we must read and agree before we can proceed. Rarely do we read through all the terms to understand their implications; it\u2019s mostly a cursory scan and tick to complete the signing up process as fast as possible, and voila, we are in!<\/p>\n

However, much, much later, if we face issues like privacy breach or cyberbullying, we tend to complain that we didn\u2019t know. But we did, it\u2019s all spelt out in the T&Cs we had hastily agreed to.<\/p>\n

Long ago, I had told you the story of a relative, whose son had forged his age to sign up on Facebook. When I questioned the mother, she said she wasn\u2019t aware of the age clause. But again, it\u2019s there, right at the start of the T&Cs!<\/p>\n

Most social media platforms have updated their terms in recent times to bring in more openness in their advertising and third-party sharing policies. They have also clearly explained privacy and security terms for users. It\u2019s now up to the users to read, understand and implement the terms to stay safe online and to help maintain digital world hygiene.<\/p>\n

Popular Media Sites And Tips to Deal With Them<\/h2>\n

Let us explore the T&Cs of some popular social media sites and find out how many of the rules we allow our kids to follow or flout.<\/p>\n