>Why not offer this as a Chrome extension that detects any arbitration clause in any TOS and gives users options to opt-out, including the ability to mail an opt-out through an API?
probably because thats like a million times more work?
Not really... If I made a dirty version of the plugin for myself, I'd just do a DOM text search for "terms" and if found do another search for "arbitration", both case insensitive. If found, then highlight the words, pop a warning to the viewer, and scroll the window or modal to the spot.
The mailer API would be plausible through a third-party postcard/letter mailer API.
> probably because thats like a million times more work?
I assume you're referring to the "detection" part.
Perhaps in the early 2000s this was true, prior to the widespread application of natural language processing; when one had to pre-define the format of most everything. Now all that's required are a few niche terms and a structure to apply them.
I suspect (or at least would hope) this guy has an automatic letter folder and filler/stuffer[1], because doing this manually is... hard, and takes hours.
It would be critically if you were offering this for "any TOS" though. Depending on success, you may even need to lean on an external printing/mailing service to do the work.
In any case, it would be very very hard to offer a generalized service to do this, for free. Once-offs like this are the only viable way to make it free.
And I'm not even getting into the infra/maintenance work on the extension and API itself.
Yes, an automated mailing service like Lob (YC) would be necessary. Lob takes about 5 minutes to set up and handles all the dirty work of printing + mailing.
Ideally a user would pay a monthly fee for the extension and then the mailing costs.
probably because thats like a million times more work?