Hi. I'm not sure if this question is appropriate for SO but I guess other programmers will run into this issue as well from time to time, so here we go.
I'm building a site where people can sign up, upload content etc. and I was wondering, I probably need some sort of T&C's and Privacy Policy for a site like this. Since I'm just a poor programmer and don't have money for expensive lawyers, where would I get T&C's and a Privacy Policy that would applicable to my site?
I believe this depends on which country is hosting the website, and also which country the user is in as the laws which apply to your website depend on both.
I would look for a similiar website to your own, running in the same country, with the same user profile, and see what they have.
Don't use Googles. They have more lawyers then you. (And are watching you, and this website).
Hey! Not all lawyers are expensive! Just...most of them.
All joking aside, I (or any other lawyer) would really need to know what the website is all about. What kind of information is stored, what do you expect people to do with it, are you selling a product, etc.
It comes down to this. You should really get a lawyer to look at it and construct the privacy policy and the T&C. ESPECIALLY because you're talking about uploading content. Last thing you need is someone uploading child pornography to your site and having the terms & conditions fail to adequately indemnify you. Then you might be liable for the crime too - which, as we all know - is bad.
In all honesty, the prices for this might not be as high as you expect. And the protection it will give you is WELL worth the cost.
I ran into this exact issue recently when I was building clikboard.com. I found a CreativeCommons licensed T&C's and Privacy Policy and modified it for my use. You're welcome to take it and use them if it helps.
Of course, I'm sure a lawyer will tell you to get advice from a lawyer. But even if you end up doing that, you can save $$$ by starting with something that says roughly what you're happy to say.
Get a lawyer. If you're in the US, your local Bar Association should be happy to point you to one. It probably won't cost more than a few hundred dollars, and that probably won't be out of line with the rest of the costs (like what a good ISP might charge for a year for hosting). If you're expecting to make a bit of money on ads or whatever, it'll pay for the lawyer.
The downside of not having a good policy is fairly severe: you might wind up being civilly or even criminally liable for something somebody posted when you weren't looking. If you can't afford a lawyer you certainly can't afford even one misguided libel suit.
Remember, also, that laws are different across jurisdictions. If you're asking for legal advice here (generally a bad idea anyway), you will get nothing useful unless you tell us whether you're in Texas, France, Iran, or whatever.