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Comment by bobm_kite9 | Hacker News Reader

What I want is a standardized set of icons, which grant or deny specific things, that all websites can agree on, sort of like the ones available for software licensing, here:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/

It would be great if we could "standardize away" the whole T&C fiasco.

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You're in luck at least when it comes to privacy in the EU! The GDPR makes various references to the creation and use of standardised icons to give a meaningful overview of the intended data processing. I know, I know, another GDPR reference but I thought it was interesting to note that a piece of regulation is pushing implement precisely what you were talking about, albeit in the field of privacy.

We have standardized nutritional labels in the United States and I would like to see a similar standard for terms and conditions. Icons could be part of it but also leave room for text and listing of what common data (email, ip, name, etc.) the service will collect and how they will use it.

This is a great idea

Icons are good. But would be even better if they were switches the user can turn off/on.

That sounds like a GPL loophole to me.

It would be much easier to extend and replace if someone could turn off the condition " You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License." [0]

I'm all for making these easier to read, but they shouldn't be line-item veto.

[0]http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

I agree you should not be able to change a software license but if Facebook had an icon for each thing they did like: [share with 3rd party] [sell your info] ...

Would that hold up in court? An icon?

Like many things, it depends. As long as one can demonstrate that the icon in question has a clear meaning to a "reasonable person" or "typical user", then use of the icon would likely hold up in court.

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