The EULAlyzer

Having been trained in the law, we all know better than to just click “I agree” to the next software licence agreement that pops up when you try to install that new widget on your computer. Of course, none of us do actually read the agreement, and the software ends up changing your start page and installing the yahoo toolbar into your browser.

If you have no interest in reading the lengthy contract, but still want to know whether you can expect that widget to also serve you some pop-up ads, the EULAlyzer promises to do the reading for you. When faced with a licence agreement, just open up the program, point it to the agreement and it will flag any questionable terms it finds.

There’s not much info on the website about how the program works. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t perform any sophisticated legal analysis, and most likely just searches the agreement for terms like “advertising”. But it’s a small step better than not reading the contract at all, and may actually help a few people make a more informed decision about whether they really need that 3D Aquarium screensaver.