Thread by @swipp_it

1/ So, I guess my new "hobby" over the past few years has become reading terms of service/privacy policies for things I want to use and then trying to enforce my rights as laid out in those policies.

Unsurprisingly, companies are often not certain how to respond to this.

2/ For example, when my partner and I bought a Nintendo Switch a couple years ago, I read the policy and, as required, wrote a hand written letter to the company within x number of days of purchase to request to opt out of mandatory arbitration and mailed it.

I never heard back.

3/ And there are some services I just refuse to participate in (looking at you, LinkedIn) because I find their use of data to be too intrusive, even with customization options.

(but seriously, you should read LinkedIn's user agreement and privacy policy: linkedin.com/legal/privacy-…)

4/ Recently, I opened up the Pokémon GO app after nearly 3 years to see what was new. They had a new terms of use and privacy policy. So I read it.

5/ In their privacy policy (nianticlabs.com/privacy), there is a section for "Your rights and choices":

6/ So, as per the instructions, I wrote to the Pokémon GO contact form to a) object to them processing my Personal Data, and b) ask them to stop using my Personal Data for marketing and promotional purposes.

7/ What I got back was instructions on how to delete my account. Then, when I said I didn't want to delete my account but instead limit use of my data, I got more instructions on how to delete my account.

Note I never mentioned "delete" in any of my emails.

8/ "So, if I'm understanding this correctly, there is no way for you to fulfill the following rights, as outlined in your privacy policy, unless I choose to delete my account?" I wrote & asked them to explain why I'm unable to exercise these rights (the policy says I can do that)

9/ And I got transferred with a response that says TWICE "We offer you choices regarding the collection, use, and sharing of your personal data and we’ll respect the choices you make" and directs me to read their privacy policy...

10/ I explained what I wanted to do again, copied/pasted article 7 of the privacy policy directly into the email, and asked to limit use of my data or receive clarification if I cannot do so (preferably from whoever wrote the policy). Next steps TBD.

11/ Certainly, all of this is basically an exercise in futility and probably pretty annoying. Very few people actually read these policies, and I'm sure even fewer actually try to act on them. But, I honestly believe we should.

12/ We should care about our privacy and how our data is used. We should exercise what few rights we're given. We should ask questions about these things that we're agreeing to and seek clarification.

13/ I'm honestly not 100% sure what "processing your Personal Data" means in this context. It's unclear as written. Certainly, some data needs to be processed in order for the platform to function properly, but this is written vaguely enough to potentially allow for other uses?

14/ So, I'll continue trying to find answers, even if the outcome is moot, because I don't think Privacy Policies, Terms of Use, or User Agreements should be throwaway documents. We're agreeing to them, and we need to pay attention or be ready to face the consequences.