PSA: Opt out of Dropbox's arbitration clause

[Arthur]

Not sure if this affects UK Dropbox accounts, but I thought I would post it just in case.

 

Opt-out Link: www.dropbox.com/arbitration_optout (Deadline: 23 April 2014)

 

If you're a Dropbox user, you probably got an e-mail in the last few days about an update to their TOS that basically puts all disputes into arbitration rather than litigation.

 

If you're like me, you probably glossed over this update because gah, legalese.

 

Allow me to summarize what it means when a company wants to handle all disputes in arbitration:

 

No matter what they do (delete your data, privacy breach, overcharging, whatever), you don't get to sue. Instead, THEY get to choose the arbitrator according to whatever criteria they want, and thus any dispute is decided by someone they're paying.

 

Also, you can’t join a class-action suit against them. Which sounds like no big deal, but when a company takes advantage of a bunch of people all in the same small way (incorrectly assessing a service charge, for example), class action is how companies are made to clean up their act en masse, instead of waiting for thousands of people to call them up and demand their $20 back or whatever.

 

I love Dropbox and use/recommend it enthusiastically. But this is a company that we entrust with some of our most important data - the kind of data we need to have access to wherever we are. Family photos, portfolios, projects representing years of work, etc. And as we've seen with Google buying Nest, even if we trust the management team in charge of our data right now, that’s not guaranteed in the future. Founders move on to other things. Companies with great products get acquired. Business decisions get made that change the direction of the company.

 

The agreement we make with Dropbox is too important to be enforced only by an arbitrator of their choosing. You have 30 days from the date of notification to opt out of the arbitration clause. Do it now. (Source)

 

The Dropbox e-mail is pictured below.

 

See also: Updating our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Dropbox for Business Agreement « Dropbox Blog

 

Edited March 1, 2014 by Arthur

[hawc]

I have just opted out!