Understanding the End-User Licence Agreement (EULA)
I agree, but to what?
Almost everyone at one point or another has installed a program on their computer. We've all be confronted with the dreaded EULA prompt that refuses to budge until we agreed to its demands, much like a truculent child. Most of us hurriedly click the radio button and move on, eager to proceed with the install, yet not without a twinge of anxiety over what we may have just agreed to, because we certainly haven't bothered to read it!
But it is Sooo... Long.
Although most EULAs are lengthy, boring, and say the same thing as other EULAs, it is still important to at least browse through the agreement. Remember, this is a legal contract which may contain the language necessary to legally install spyware or adware on your PC. Many popular Internet applications are bundled with adware and spyware. However, users agree to the installation of tracking and advertising software without fully realizing it. For this reason, it is important to at least skim through the EULA.
Often, looking at the titles of each section will give you an idea of what it is about, and will uncover installation of additional and unwanted features. A clause that states you agree to the installation of any subsequent additional software is a tip off that you're installing spyware. Have a good laugh at the EULA that says you agree to the software authors' right to do anything they want to with your machine and that it is illegal for you to try and stop them. Yes, there are EULAs that make these stipulations! When you've finished laughing, abort the installation and throw that stuff right in the Trash.
