How we grade
Fineprint is a reading aid. It does not say whether a clause would hold up in court, and it is not a substitute for a lawyer.
What we read
We open the public URL you paste, or an official policy URL from our list. If you paste the words, we read those instead. We re-read the public list on a schedule. If someone adds a missing company, we start reading it and list it when the page is a real policy — no one has to approve that by hand. We save a snapshot so we can see when the wording changes.
Kinds of agreements we look for
Privacy policies, terms of use, cookie notices, EULAs, media or app-store agreements, and waivers. We also flag paid auto-renewal, in-app and kids’ charges, kids and family accounts, health or fitness data, connected cars and smart home devices, loyalty or ticket lock-in, and terms in one app that try to cover parks, stores, or sister brands.
What you are agreeing to
Every analysis has two lists. First: everyday statements of what a typical person accepts. Second: every quoted downside. We watch for terms in one app that also try to cover stores, tickets, or sister brands, and we list the names the document uses for those other products.
What we may flag
We only report an issue when we can quote a passage that matches one of these categories. The grade is not a moral score.
Data sold or shared with third parties
The company sells personal data, shares it with brokers, or grants broad third-party commercial access.
Forced arbitration or class-action waiver
Users must arbitrate disputes and cannot join a class action.
Unilateral changes with little or no notice
The company can change terms without meaningful notice or continued-use consent.
Broad license to user content
The company takes a perpetual, sublicensable, or worldwide license to user content beyond what the service needs.
Difficult or incomplete deletion
Account or data deletion is limited or delayed, or does not cover backups and partners.
Indefinite retention
Data is kept for as long as the company wants, or for vague “legitimate interests.”
Tracking you across apps
Tracking across sites/apps, device fingerprinting, or sale of inferences.
Cookie consent that favors Accept
Consent is bundled, reject is harder than accept, or “necessary” cookies include advertising.
Location or sensitive-data over-collection
Precise location, biometrics, health, or other sensitive data collected beyond the core product.
Health or fitness data used beyond care
Wellness, fitness, or medical-adjacent data is shared, sold, or kept in ways that go past running the service.
Children’s data
The service may collect data from children, or it does not clearly bar under-13 use.
Liability shifted onto the user
Broad waivers, indemnity, or “as-is” terms that leave the user holding the risk.
You take the risk of injury or death
The signer assumes the risk of injury, death, or medical costs — common in waivers.
Auto-renewal or hard-to-cancel paid terms
Paid plans renew automatically or cancellation is restricted.
Terms follow you to parks, stores, and other products
Accepting one app or site can also bind you at stores, venues, sister brands, or later purchases.
Jury trial or court access waived
You give up a jury or the right to bring a claim in public court.
Car or smart-home data always on
Connected cars, TVs, speakers, or home devices collect location, audio, or usage beyond what you asked the device to do.
In-app charges or kids’ spending
Purchases, subscriptions, or family accounts can charge without a clear extra tap, including by a child on a shared device.
Loyalty, tickets, or points that add terms
Joining a rewards, ticket, or membership program silently adds extra terms or keeps you from leaving with what you paid for.
How the letter grade is set
Each quoted downside adds points. High-cost clauses count more. Letter grades run A through F from those points. A person never picks the letter.
What this is not
Fineprint is not a regulator, not a lawsuit, and not advice about your situation. Companies change pages. Quotes can be incomplete. If something matters to you, check the source wording and get qualified help.