Government crackdown on small print

13/02/2009

The government is to tackle misleading small print included on online and paper forms following research revealing that consumers find it confusing and misleading.

A study from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) found that borrowers are increasingly wary when it comes to small print and privacy notes.

Some 42 per cent told the IOC that they believe small print is used by companies to make money by selling on details, with 71 per cent admitting to never properly reading small print.

When asked what would make small print easier to understand, 63 per cent of Brits said less jargon and 50 per cent suggested that even using larger text would make a difference.

Information commissioner Richard Thomas said that sections of small print contain too much "confusing gobbledegook".

"Privacy notices are an important way to inform individuals and ensure that organisations are open about how they use personal information," he added. "But no-one should need a magnifying glass or a lawyer to find out what will happen to their information, what their choices are and what their rights are. Too many privacy notices are written to protect organisations, rather than to inform consumers."

The IOC has now launched a campaign to encourage consumers to read the small print and urging companies to use "clear, plain language".

Tags; Current UK Economy,

• Share
• 
• 
• Store
• 
• Follow
•