# Thoughts on "This service" or "The service"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Case Discussions\ **Created:** [October 15, 2020, 5:36am UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180 "2020-10-15T05:36:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peepo](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/peepo/32/7_2.png) [@Peepo](https://tosdr.community/u/Peepo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 5:36am UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/1 "2020-10-15T05:36:30Z")
If you look at the cases, a ton of them have these quotes before getting into what the service does and I think it would be better if not as much titles had it . A downside I can possibly think of is that “This service” and “The service” has more precise wording but if someone is looking at the summary of a specific site, I would assume that they know that the service they are looking at is being referred to and not a third party because that would be included in the case title. If it was changed I believe it would also be changed in the extension as well, and I think the new/shorter name would read better with people who are using the extension as well as people annotating the documents. I would love thoughts and feedback on the idea though For example: [The service provides a complaint mechanism for the handling of personal data](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/300) → A complaint mechanism is provided for the handling of personal data [This service does not sell your personal data](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/193) → Your personal data is not sold [This service uses third-party cookies for statistics](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/325) → Third-party cookies are used for statistics [The service can read your private messages](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/239) → Private messages can be read ---
**Author:** ![serph](https://tosdr.community/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@serph](https://tosdr.community/u/serph)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/2 "2020-10-15T14:52:12Z")
I agree with your suggestion. I think it makes it cleaner and easier to read, while reducing inconsistencies between cases having “This service” vs “The service.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Jeff](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/dr_jeff/32/2728_2.png) [@Dr\_Jeff](https://tosdr.community/u/Dr_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 3:23pm UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/3 "2020-10-15T15:23:56Z")
I also agree with your suggestion. Not a very huge change but would be much more consistent. ---
**Author:** ![Arlo](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/arlo/32/24_2.png) [@Arlo](https://tosdr.community/u/Arlo)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2020, 9:54am UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/4 "2020-11-24T09:54:41Z")
Yes, it’s a lot cleaner. When constructing the passive tense one has to be careful not to omit important context, however. For instance, [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/131](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/131) (“[Content is published under a free license instead of a bilateral one](https://discord.com/channels/764611268815749132/780547122398888006/780705004905431041)”) fails to mention _whose_ content. Presumably user-uploaded content like the other cases in [the topic](https://discord.com/channels/764611268815749132/780547122398888006/780704536645599253) “[Copyright license](https://edit.tosdr.org/topics/30)”, but it could also be [mis]interpreted as website-published content – and indeed depending on the details of the terms, there may not be a simple difference (if user content is processed to make site content). ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Jeff](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/dr_jeff/32/2728_2.png) [@Dr\_Jeff](https://tosdr.community/u/Dr_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 3:08am UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/5 "2020-12-05T03:08:50Z")
On retrospective, I believe the wording `This Service` would be more fitting in (maybe) every instance, since most of our users view the Points through our Browser Extensions, which emphasizes **“The Service you are currently viewing/logged on”** much more efficiently. ---
**Author:** ![justin](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/justin/32/1657_2.png) [@justin](https://tosdr.community/u/justin)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 2:41am UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/6 "2021-02-08T02:41:28Z")
But isn’t that repetitive? I agree with @serph, it’s a lot cleaner and easier to read rather than “The service.”, “This Service” ---
**Author:** ![Agnes\_de\_Lion](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/agnes_de_lion/32/263_2.png) [@Agnes\_de\_Lion](https://tosdr.community/u/Agnes_de_Lion)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 2:06pm UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/7 "2021-03-31T14:06:37Z")
I agree with @Peepo, it’s easier to read short titles for the cases, so I think removing “This service” or “The service” from as much case titles as possible is a great idea. I’ve tried that with some cases, let me know what you think! Edit: @PrivatePrawn and @justin have raised some issues so I’ve changed the titles of some cases according to what has been proposed. `This post can now be edited by anyone, so feel free to rephrase the following cases and to change to the passive form other cases that aren't yet listed.` > **Shortened titles** > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/122](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/122) → The terms may be changed at any time, but the user will receive notification of the changes > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/178) → Logs are kept for an undefined period of time > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/227](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/227) → Information is provided about how your personal data is used > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/281](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/281) → Users are prohibited from sending chain letters, junk mail, spam or any unsolicited messages > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/226](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/226) → Information is provided about security practices > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/231) → Users are informed about the risk of publishing personal info online > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/201](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/201) → Your account can be deleted without prior notice and without a reason > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/143) → This service is only available for use individually and non-commercially > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/197) → Archives of their Terms of Service are provided so that changes can be viewed over time > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/167) → Third parties are not allowed to access your personal information without a legal basis > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/165) → This Service promises to inform and/or notify users regarding government inquiries that may involve users’ personal data > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/205) → Your account can be suspended for several reasons > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/284) → Users are prohibited from attempting to gain unauthorized access to other computer systems > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/296) → User information is only shared with third parties when given specific consent > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/297](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/297) → Information is provided about how they collect personal data > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/303](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/303) → The data retention period is kept to the minimum necessary for fulfilling its purposes > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/306) → A list of all cookies set by the website is provided > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/324) → Alternative accounts are not allowed > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/376](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/376) → Many different types of personal data are collected > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/391) → Users will be notified if personal data has been affected by data breaches > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/218) → You are not being tracked > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/307) → You are being tracked via social media cookies/pixels > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/399](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/399) → Your IP address is collected, which can be used to view your approximate location > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/228](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/228) → Details are provided about what kind of information they collect > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/396) → Your Personal data may be sold unless you opt out > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/125) → Only temporary session cookies are used > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/377) → Your content can be deleted if you violate the terms > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/323](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/323) → Users are tracked via web beacons, tracking pixels, browser fingerprinting, and/or device fingerprinting > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/215) → Pseudonyms are allowed > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/185) → Your personal information is used for many different purposes > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/216](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/216) → Your personal data is used for advertising > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/232) → A free help desk is provided > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/152](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/152) → This Service is only available for users over a certain age > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/159) → Users will be notified about website maintenance > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/160) → No guarantee is given regarding quality > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/157) → Your use is throttled > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/120) → Critical changes to the terms are made without user involvement > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/379) → User communications can be blocked or censored > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/202](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/202) → Specific content can be deleted without reason and may be removed without prior notice > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/206](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/206) → 30 days of notice are given before closing your account > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/407) → Any content you post may be edited by the service > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/410) → \>Political discussions which are against the government-advocated value are prohibited > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/243](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/243) → Your personal data may be sold or otherwise transferred as part of a bankruptcy proceeding or other type of financial transaction > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/312) → Two factor authentication is provided for your account > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/405) → An anonymous payment method is offered > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/316) → Political discussions or campaining are prohibited > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/315](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/315) → The posting of pornographic content is prohibited > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/317) → Users aren’t allowed to publicly post private messages > > [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/314) → Users are prohibited from posting content which promotes violence or politically or religiously extremist values. > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/444](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/444) → The publishing of personally identifiable information without the owner’s consent is not allowed > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/479](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/479) → Users aren’t allowed to remove or edit user-generated content > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/130](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/130) → A license is kept on user-generated content even after users close their accounts > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/134](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/134) → User content can be licensed to third parties > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/138](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/138) → Instructions are provided on how to submit a copyright claim > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/139](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/139) → Your content can be distributed through any media known now or in the future > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/127](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/127) → Third party cookies are employed, but with opt out instructions > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/128](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/128) → Third-party cookies are used for **advertising** > _( “for other purposes without your consent” makes no sense to me and I’ve only seen third party cookies being employed for either statistics or advertising)_ > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/233](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/233) → Do Not Track (DNT) headers are ignored and users are tracked anyway even if they set this header. > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/383](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/383) → Your browser’s Do Not Track (DNT) header is respected > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/126](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/126) → First-party cookies are used > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/140](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/140) → You can retrieve an archive of your data > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/311](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/311) → Personal data is not shared with third parties > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/382](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/382) → Information is gathered about you through third parties > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/200](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/200) → Separate policies are employed for different parts of the service > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/220](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/220) → Your personal data is used to employ targeted third-party advertising > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/336](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/336) → Your personal data may be used for marketing purposes > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/211](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/211) → Extra data may be collected about you through promotions > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/339](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/339) → Users are forced into binding arbitration in case of disputes > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/335](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/335) → Users aren’t forced into binding arbitration in case of disputes > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/406](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/406) → An onion site accessible over Tor is provided > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/395](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/395) → Your browser history can be viewed by the service > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/381](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/381) → No third-party analytics or tracking platforms are used > > [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/209](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/209) → Users are warned of the potential consequences related to third-party access ---
**Author:** ![justin](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/justin/32/1657_2.png) [@justin](https://tosdr.community/u/justin)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 1:57am UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/8 "2021-04-06T01:57:12Z")
I like these waaay better and makes it easier to read! Should we apply them? Though I have a couple changes for some cases: [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/226](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/226) → Users are informed about security practices [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/143) → We should keep it like that [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/197) → Archives of their Terms of Service are provided so that changes can be viewed over time [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/218) → You are not being tracked [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/307) → You are being tracked via social media cookies/pixels [https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/228](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/228) → Details about what kind of information they collect is provided [Terms of Service; Didn't Read - Phoenix](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/125) → Only temporary session cookies are used ---
**Author:** ![PrivatePrawn](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/privateprawn/32/790_2.png) [@PrivatePrawn](https://tosdr.community/u/PrivatePrawn)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2021, 3:09am UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/9 "2021-04-10T03:09:55Z")
I support removing “This service” or “The service”, one of the reasons being that it makes searching for cases while annotating a lot easier. I also agree with @justin that some cases should include “This service” for more clarity. Like @Agnes_de_Lion said, it’s important for users to be able to quickly skim all the points of a website. With that in mind, I think all the cases should use one consistent voice (I think passive voice works the best here). This shouldn’t just be a situation where “This service” is simply removed from the beginning of a sentence, detracting from the understanding. To demonstrate, one case is in passive voice, and the other is active: 1. Your personal data is used for advertising 2. Tracking via web beacons, tracking pixels, browser fingerprinting, and/or device fingerprinting on users This requires the user (or me at least) to take a pause and switch to a different way of reading the sentence before continuing. It’d be much easier if both were in passive voice: 1. Your personal data is used for advertising 2. Users are tracked via web beacons, tracking pixels, browser fingerprinting, and/or device fingerprinting Most of the suggested changes are already in passive voice (which is probably because most of us subconsciously default to that). There’s just a few that need to be changed. Unfortunately, I can’t post more than 4 links yet, but here are 4 passive versions I came up with. [Case 323: The service may use tracking pixels, web beacons, browser fingerprinting, and/or device fingerprinting on users.](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/323) → Users are tracked via web beacons, tracking pixels, browser fingerprinting, and/or device fingerprinting [Case 227: The service provides information about how they intend to use your personal data](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/227) → Information is provided about how your personal data is used [Case 281: This service prohibits users sending chain letters, junk mail, spam or any unsolicited messages.](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/281) → Users are prohibited from sending chain letters, junk mail, spam or any unsolicited messages [Case 231: The service informs users about the risk of publishing personal info online](https://edit.tosdr.org/cases/231) → Users are informed about the risk of publishing personal info online Let me know what you think, I can come up with a list for all the cases if needed. ---
**Author:** ![Agnes\_de\_Lion](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/agnes_de_lion/32/263_2.png) [@Agnes\_de\_Lion](https://tosdr.community/u/Agnes_de_Lion)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 7:58am UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/10 "2021-05-06T07:58:58Z")
I’m applying the changes today. Feel free to suggest other rephrasings for the remaining cases! _Edit: I’ve also replaced in as much cases as possible the word “user” by the second person pronoun to unify the phrasings and so that the user feels more involved._ ---
**Author:** ![justin](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/justin/32/1657_2.png) [@justin](https://tosdr.community/u/justin)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 12:22pm UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/11 "2023-01-12T12:22:07Z")
---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Jeff](https://tosdr.community/user_avatar/tosdr.community/dr_jeff/32/2728_2.png) [@Dr\_Jeff](https://tosdr.community/u/Dr_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2026, 1:01am UTC](https://tosdr.community/t/thoughts-on-this-service-or-the-service/180/12 "2026-07-16T01:01:17Z")