Beware of User Agreements

I think I'm in the minority of those persons who actually read every word of the lengthy volumes known as legal User Agreements, for if more people read them, maybe less people would use Social Media. I once heard a CEO of one of the organizations joke that he considered adding a phrase in the agreement that any user would forfeit their firstborn son to the organization. He was joking of course but agreed that there is so much in those UAs that people remain ignorant of. I think the last form I read was for LinkedIn, which by all accounts is reputable and trustworthy. But at the time I read the UA, I did not like the phrase, +/- regarding that any posted information could be used by the organization in any way, forceable or not forceable in the future, including in terms no one can imagine at this point in time. I told myself, Forget It. Yes, it's a safe and trustworthy program, but it's challenging enough to remain aware of illegal predators. I don't want to legally engage myself in honest intrusion into my life. And so I avoid Social Media. But that causes another problem, because I've been mistaken for other individuals who actively engage in Social Media with words and postings I would never utter or allow. Social Media has so many ways it can trap an honest person. Predators on children. Friends who become enemies. Businesses disguised as innocent blog commentaries for marketing purposes. Internet users of any age can become caught up in the illegal, immoral, unethical, and other spheres of the Internet. It's sad.

Okay, I had a typo which may or may not be noticed. I didn't mean to type "forceable" but rather, for-see-able. The User Agreement was making the point that they can control the information, in ways we now understand or in unique ways that no one can anticipate at this time.