What you really agree to when you click 'accept'

You can spot the words "privacy policy" at the bottom of nearly every website. Don't be fooled. Those policies are more about data collection than privacy.

Companies use these policies to alert you to how they track your location, read your emails, spy on your Web browsing -- and sell some of that to advertisers. It doesn't help that these disclaimers are close to unintelligible.

With the help of several legal experts, CNN has reviewed policies at many top websites and apps. The conclusion: Most privacy policies are basically useless.

• They're too vague. Unclear language isn't just annoying. It arms companies with more legal muscle. Having ambiguous language in privacy policies lessens a consumer's ability to fight back if their personal information is ever mishandled.
• Terms are open-ended.
• Policies change all the time.
• Sometimes they don't even exist. Mobile app developers are increasingly relying on even more nebulous "permissions" instead of privacy policies. These pop-ups list all the features an app can access on your phone. It's worth paying attention to them, because they're starting to get weird.