Trust me, I’m lying - the double-edged sword of simplified terms & conditions

Companies are making privacy policies easier to read - but when users finally understand what they’re agreeing to, trust can crumble instead of grow.

Would you trust a company more if it told you, clearly, that it’s selling your data?

A new study from the University of Georgia has presented a key central finding – that clearer contracts on the whole garner more trust, until the customer works out the gist of what's being presented to them.

As customers often state that they wish companies were more transparent with them, with clear, digestible language can win the trust of a customer, as demonstrated with companies like Pinterest.

You’re saying, ‘Hey, we’re not like the rest of these guys… We’re doing something reasonable here,’” said coauthor Tim Samples, epitomising that the requirements are best stated in layman pleasing language.

Other companies, like Meta meanwhile, use pages of long-winded, deep-scroll that makes you feel like you’re talking to a lawyer.

Perhaps companies like Meta get ahead though because the user simply can’t be bothered to scroll down the whole rigmarole.

However, as data treatment becomes increasingly high-profile, as account holders learn the hard way, consumers will be more alert to big-tech companies cutting corners.

You’re not going to be able to summarize and animate your way to consumer trust,” said Dagogo-Jack, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business “if your company depends on selling access to people’s data to advertisers.”

The authors would like to go a step further and delve into videos and infographics next, to establish if customers deem them invasive or insightful.