A new film exploring the changing legal and privacy rights of Internet users premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, CNET News reports. “Terms and Conditions May Apply” documents the evolution of online tech companies’ policies and how user anonymity has diminished as a result of government intervention—such as the USA PATRIOT Act—and advertisers, the report states. Film director Cullen Hoback argues that diminished online anonymity has put some users at greater risk, citing an example of a Facebook post that brought a SWAT team to a comedian’s house. Hoback also seeks out one firm’s original privacy policy, which reportedly included language promising anonymity to users. Now, Hoback says, privacy policies are “designed to be as uninviting as humanly possible.”
Full Story