Is Merriam-Webster's Terms of Service safe?

Top concerning points

1. 1.

   The service can delete specific content without reason and may do it without prior notice

   blocker

   High

   This service can delete specific content. Usually they will claim they reserve the right to do it at their sole discretion, which is legalese for saying they won't give a specific reason. If the terms say they will not notify you, it shall be included in the quote but if it does not explicitly say they will give you a notice, it can be reasonably inferred that they can do it without telling you.

   Source quote / document
2. 2.

   This service gathers information about you through third parties

   bad

   High

   This Service may employ, either identifiable or non-identifiable, data collection from third party sources about you.

   Source quote / document
3. 3.

   Instead of asking directly, this Service will assume your consent merely from your usage.

   bad

   High

   The Service infers your acceptance from your continued usage, instead of prompting you to read the new Terms and asking for direct consent. This doesn’t apply to services that have no way to seek consent from users through their contact details or an account.

   Source quote / document
4. 4.

   This service tracks you on other websites

   bad

   High

   The service may use tracking technologies in third-party websites to track your online activity while you aren't visiting their Site.

   Source quote / document
5. 5.

   This service can license user content to third parties

   bad

   High

   By posting content through the Services, users grant them a transferable and/or sublicensable right, which allows user content to be licensed to third parties.

   Source quote / document
6. 6.

   Any liability on behalf of the service is only limited to $ 1,000

   bad

   High

   Generated through the annotate view

   Source quote / document
7. 7.

   This service keeps a license on user-generated content even after users close their accounts.

   bad

   High

   The service may still use your content and display it after you stopped using it by closing your account. The case applies to terms requiring users to grant them a perpetual license over that content.

   Source quote / document
8. 8.

   Users have a reduced time period to take legal action against the service

   bad

   High

   If you wish to bring legal action against a service about a past incident, you may not be able to do so if the Terms you agreed to implied a limited amount of time. As a result it may be worthy to carefully read that section of the Terms to know exactly how much time you might have before your right to take legal action expires.

   Source quote / document

Frequently asked questions

What is Merriam-Webster's ToS;DR privacy grade?

ToS;DR rates Merriam-Webster as Grade E. Grades range from A (best) to E (worst). See the full breakdown on ToS;DR.

Is Merriam-Webster's Terms of Service safe?

ToS;DR's Grade E means the terms raise serious concerns. Read the blocker and bad points carefully before accepting.

What is a top concern in Merriam-Webster's terms?

The service can delete specific content without reason and may do it without prior notice — This service can delete specific content. Usually they will claim they reserve the right to do it at their sole discretion, which is legalese for saying they won't give a specific reason. If the terms say they will not notify you, it shall be included in the quote but if it does not explicitly say they will give you a notice, it can be reasonably inferred that they can do it without telling you. (Source: ToS;DR approved point).

Where can I read Merriam-Webster's official terms?

ToS;DR tracks "Terms of Use" at https://www.merriam-webster.com/terms-of-use. Always prefer the official document over summaries.