CLAUDETTE: an Automated Detector of Potentially Unfair Clauses in Online Terms of Service

TL;DR

This paper introduces CLAUDETTE, a machine learning-based system designed to automatically identify potentially unfair clauses in online terms of service, aiding consumers and legal professionals.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel automated detection system for unfair clauses in terms of service, demonstrating its effectiveness through experimental results.

Findings

The system can accurately identify potentially unfair clauses.

Machine learning improves detection over manual review.

Potential to assist legal analysis and consumer protection.

Abstract

Terms of service of on-line platforms too often contain clauses that are potentially unfair to the consumer. We present an experimental study where machine learning is employed to automatically detect such potentially unfair clauses. Results show that the proposed system could provide a valuable tool for lawyers and consumers alike.