Six parents in London, England, gave up their first-born "for the duration of eternity" in an experiment aimed at highlighting how little we pay attention to terms and conditions on-line.
In order to show how people ignore the weasel clauses in agreements the security firm, 'F-secure', offered free Wi-Fi to a focus group of customers with certain conditions attached. One of these was the "Herod Clause" in which the recipient agreed to "assign their first-born child to us for the duration of eternity."
Needless to say the point was proved, that people do not read the small print when it comes to signing up on what they consider to be bargain deals.
"Caveat Emptor" is the legal term for caution in scrutinizing the contract, indeed, for the devil is often in the details.
In the case of the the parents who gave up their first born he was in the "Herod Clause".
Jubilate.
Ian
