The idea of the Dutch startup founded by a student
Reading and understanding terms of service and privacy policies before accepting them online becomes easier thanks to artificial intelligence. That’s the goal of Termzy AI, a new browser extension founded by Giulio Pavesi, a student currently enrolled at the University of Amsterdam.
The extension uses AI to automatically analyze websites’ terms of service, conditions of use, and privacy policies while browsing, highlighting critical points and summarizing the content in simple, accessible language.
“We accept terms and conditions every day without reading them, but this carelessness can have real consequences,” explains Giulio Pavesi. “By registering on many sites, users unknowingly consent to the sale of their personal data to third parties, exposing themselves to risks such as spam, data redlining, or highly disadvantageous contractual conditions—from the transfer of copyright to symbolic refund limits, like €100 for any damage suffered.”
According to Pavesi, the paradox is clear: “When we receive a contract by email, we read it carefully, ask for changes, maybe even have a lawyer review it. Yet every day we sign extremely long online contracts with international companies that have a huge impact on our lives. It’s incredible how (almost) all of humanity is united by having accepted the same contracts—often dozens of pages long—without reading a single line.”
Before the rise of major digital platforms, Pavesi notes, only the citizens of a state were bound by the same laws and constitutions. “Today, billions of people accept the same community guidelines of the same global social platform. This virtual ‘state’ also has a name: the Metaverse,” Pavesi observes.
And it is precisely within these contracts that a little-known world is hidden—one with very concrete effects. “The clauses we accept can encourage phenomena like data redlining: potentially discriminatory algorithmic decisions based on our personal data, often purchased from data brokers. An example? We enter our data into a budgeting app that resells it—with our unconscious consent—to financial institutions, which then offer us mortgages online at higher interest rates. Not to mention spam, hidden costs, or opaque payment policies. Behind online contracts, there is an entire world,” Pavesi explains.
The browser extension detects when a user is about to accept an online policy and offers a scan button: the AI automatically analyzes the terms and conditions and privacy information, highlights critical points, provides a numerical rating, and summarizes everything in simple, accessible language. “It doesn’t replace a lawyer,” Pavesi уточняет, “but it’s a useful tool to start understanding what we’re accepting and to identify the clauses that deserve closer attention.”
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The project was developed as part of the Public AI course at the University of Amsterdam, dedicated to the use of artificial intelligence for the public interest. “If more people truly begin to understand what they accept online, digital companies will be pushed to offer more transparent and balanced conditions,” Pavesi concludes.
Termzy AI is available for free on the Chrome Web Store. Install Termzy AI
