Agility Loop

GigaOM has a post today entitled Has Dropbox set the stage for a privacy revolution detailing the last several "fun" months at Dropbox, and their recent change of their terms of service to make their privacy policies clear.  What I found interesting is that when they first tried to clarify their policies, there was actually more uproar from customers.

Then, on July 1, when Dropbox tried to do right by its users by clearing up much of the language in its terms of service, privacy policy and security overview, another uproar ensued. It appears this was the first time many customers bothered to read these documents, because the commenters on a blog post announcing the changes, as well as forum members across the web, began loudly criticizing certain Dropbox practices.

This makes sense...I can tell you that I almost NEVER read the TOS when signing up for a service. Although the article make the point that this could set the stage for a privacy revolution, I think actions like these are hopefully bigger.  Yes, making privacy policies clear is important due to recent privacy violations.  But how about making security practices just as clear?  There have been so many hacks lately that adding clarity to security practices (whether in the TOS or elsewhere) could have real value.  If I was idealistic (I'm not), it would be great if there was some sort of neutral party that rated the privacy and security policies of websites and posted them in a public location.  Similar to the mileage ratings for cars, the consumer could decide based off the rating.  However, not sure you can have a truly neutral party that will give an accurate rating.  And if it is anything like the standards for MPG and cell phone battery life, the numbers would be next to useless.