Unread terms of service as consent
- Topic
- Consent and autonomy
- Kind
- Policy and health systems
Prompt
Most people click "I agree" on terms of service they have never read. Should that click count as real consent to how a company uses their personal information? Explain your reasoning.
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After you practice: what this question tests and how to approach it
What this question tests
- Critical thinking
- Ethical reasoning
How to approach this question
This panel interview question tests whether you understand what makes consent meaningful: a person knows what they're agreeing to and has a real choice. Explain both sides, including the practical case for treating a click as agreement and the reality that terms are long, complex and offered on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. Ask aloud whether consent should depend on how sensitive the personal information is or how much people rely on the service. Take a clear position and suggest what would make consent more real, such as plain summaries or separate permissions. Connect it briefly to informed consent in medicine, where the same principle of understanding applies.
More on consent and autonomy
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