We’ve all done it: scrolling straight to the bottom of a page and clicking “I Agree” without reading a single line of the Terms and Conditions. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it gets us to what we really want: signing up, buying, or downloading.
But those pages we skip are actually legally binding contracts that define your rights, your duties, and how companies can use your information. The fact that no one reads T&C allowed companies to offer totally unbalanced conditions.
Here are 10 key clauses you should always look for (or let Termzy AI find for you) before agreeing to anything online.
1. Dispute Resolution Policies
This clause explains how and where conflicts are settled.
Some companies require binding arbitration, meaning you give up your right to sue them in court (because they may save legal costs in this way...). Others restrict cases to specific jurisdictions (sometimes even abroad), making it costly or impractical to pursue legal action.
What to check: Are disputes handled in your country? Is arbitration mandatory?
2. Refund and Return Policies
These sections determine your rights to a refund or exchange. Some policies offer only partial refunds, others none at all, even for defective products or delayed services.
What to check: Time limits, eligibility, and whether “final sale” items are excluded.
3. Automatic Renewal and Payment Clauses
Many subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel, often buried in fine print. That “free trial” might turn into a monthly charge before you realise it. Even if you cancel, you may still need to pay for the current billing period.
What to check: Renewal dates, cancellation deadlines, and refund options after renewal.
4. Liability Disclaimers
Liability clauses limit how much responsibility a company takes if something goes wrong, from a defective product to a data breach. This disclaimer is usually very broad, as companies exploit the fact that no one reads T&Cs to limit their liability in case of any type of damage. They provide a service, but they claim not to be responsible for it, which in most cases in "real" life would not be accepted by any client.
What to check: If the company completely disclaims liability (“as is” services), you might not be compensated even if you’re harmed.
5. User Content and Intellectual Property Rights
When you upload photos, posts, or reviews, who owns them? Many platforms reserve the right to reuse, reproduce, or even sell your content. Many popular platforms they can also distribute your content for marketing purposes without even asking you.
What to check: Does the company gain a perpetual license over what you post?
6. Data Protection and Privacy
This clause governs how your personal information, like name, email, location, or payment data, is collected, stored, and shared.
Some companies explicitly mention selling data to third parties or data brokers. This component is further elaborated on in the privacy policy and may lead to unexpected consequences such as receiving unsolicited marketing or even data redlining (e.g. a bank offering you a high-rate loan because it acquired information about your (poor) financial conditions by a service where you entered those data).
What to check: Does the policy comply with GDPR or CCPA? Can you opt out of data sharing or request deletion? Which services or third parties acquire access to your data?
7. Termination of Service
This determines under what conditions the company can suspend or delete your account. Sometimes, accounts can be terminated without notice, even if you’ve paid for a subscription. In other cases, they can be terminated arbitrarily, without solid reasons. Luckily, some laws are now trying to limit these possibilities (as the arbitrary termination gives a lot of power on companies like social media, with a big impact on people's lives).
What to check: Are there clear rules for account termination? Do you retain access to your data or balance?
8. Modification of Terms
Many companies reserve the right to change their terms at any time without notice. That means what you agreed to today could be completely different tomorrow. Again, national or supra-national laws need to act to limit these possibilities, as they are a clear exploitation of the fact that users don't read what they sign. If they were to, they probably wouldn't accept such conditions.
What to check: Are you notified before changes apply? Can you decline updates and still use the service?
9. Governing Law
This defines which country’s or state’s laws apply to the agreement.
A U.S. user agreeing to terms governed by Singaporean law, for example, might have little recourse in a dispute.
What to check: Is the governing law relevant to where you live or operate?
10. Third-Party Links and Responsibilities
Sometimes, the company isn’t even responsible for what happens when you click certain links or use integrated services. This is also a potentially unfair advantage gained from the fact that users accept conditions blindly: in the "offline" life, companies are often required to be directly responsible even for damage originating from their suppliers, with the possibility to later turn responsibility on them.
What to check: Does the policy disclaim responsibility for third-party vendors or payment processors?
Termzy AI helps you read T&Cs before you accept them
Reading all these clauses manually would take you hours and that’s exactly why most of us skip them. But skipping means missing crucial information that directly affects your rights, money, and privacy.
Termzy AI is a browser extension that was built to fix that.
With one click, it scans any website, automatically finds links to Terms & Conditions or Privacy Policies, and uses AI to:
- Analyze and summarize the key clauses in plain language
- Evaluate how fair, transparent, and legally compliant the document is
- Highlight risks around data sharing, payments, dispute resolution, and user rights...
👉 Try Termzy AI for free at termzyai.com and start protecting yourself every time you click “I Agree.”
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