Independent academia
- The documents do not say whether your data trains AI.
- The documents do not say whether your data is used for ads.
- The documents do not say whether your data is sold or shared.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
The pages fetched are paper lists, not Academia.edu’s own privacy policy or terms.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
These pages do not say what Academia.edu collects from you.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“A privacy policy is a legal document that outlines how an organization collects, uses, discloses, and manages an individual's personal information.”
Training
These pages do not say how Academia.edu uses your information.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“It serves to inform users about their rights regarding their data and the measures taken to protect their privacy.”
Sharing
These pages do not say who can see your Academia.edu data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“A privacy policy is a legal document that outlines how an organization collects, uses, discloses, and manages an individual's personal information.”
Kept
The documents do not say how long they keep your data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“It serves to inform users about their rights regarding their data and the measures taken to protect their privacy.”
Controls
These pages do not describe deletion, opt-outs, or other controls.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“It serves to inform users about their rights regarding their data and the measures taken to protect their privacy.”
Fine print
Sign-up text says clicking Continue means you agree, but the actual terms are not here.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“By clicking Continue, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy”
Expand “Read the exact line” to see the source alongside the explanation.
What you can turn off
The controls and opt-outs their own documents describe, and where they say to find them.
Open the real Privacy and Terms links on academia.edu
Site footer links labeled Terms and Privacy (not the /Documents/in/ topic pages)
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
The site treats a click as agreeing to rules that are not shown on this page.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“By clicking Continue, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy”
For example, you could create an account without ever seeing how long they keep your papers or email.
Signing up is treated as consent even though this page is a list of papers, not the contract.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy”
For example, you might think you only joined a paper topic, but the click still binds you to unseen terms.
This is a generic definition of privacy policies, not Academia.edu’s own rules.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“A privacy policy is a legal document that outlines how an organization collects, uses, discloses, and manages an individual's personal information.”
For example, it does not tell you whether Academia.edu sells emails or trains models on uploads.
The page describes what a privacy policy is supposed to do, not what this company actually does.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“It serves to inform users about their rights regarding their data and the measures taken to protect their privacy.”
For example, you still would not know if you can delete your account in the app.
Again this is a textbook definition, not Academia.edu’s contract.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Terms of Service (ToS) are legal agreements between a service provider and users that outline the rules, responsibilities, and rights governing the use of a service.”
For example.
Typical ToS topics are listed, but Academia.edu’s actual clauses are not.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“They typically include provisions on user conduct, intellectual property, , and dispute resolution, serving to protect both parties and ensure compliance with applicable laws.”
For example, you cannot tell from this whether they take a license over papers you upload.
The product is a paper library that wants you to create an account.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Sign up to get access to over 65 million papers”
For example, you may need an account just to download a PDF, but these pages still omit the privacy rules.
One login method was removed; that is not a data-practice statement.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Facebook login is no longer available”
For example, you might have to use email instead of Facebook, but we still do not know what they store.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- personal data
- Any information that is about you or can be linked to you, from your name to your phone's ID. For example, your email, your IP address and the list of apps on your phone are all personal data.
- service providers
- Outside companies that handle your data on the app's instructions, such as a cloud host or an email sender. For example, the company that stores the app's files in the cloud sees your data but only does what the app tells it.
- limitation of liability
- A cap on what the company will ever pay you if something goes wrong, often only what you paid in the last year. For example, if a leak of your data costs you thousands, the most you may get back is a month's subscription fee.
How we got here · grade F · score 19/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 14 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
Not stated in the documents.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
Not stated in the documents.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
Not stated in the documents.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Not stated in the documents.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
Not stated in the documents.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
Not stated in the documents.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
Not stated in the documents.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
Not stated in the documents.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
Not stated in the documents.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
Not stated in the documents.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
Not stated in the documents.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
There is no dated Academia.edu policy here; the pages are undated paper indexes.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
Not stated in the documents.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
Not stated in the documents.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 10,721 words at a professional or legal expert level (Flesch reading ease 23.3); the terms are 12,340 words at a professional or legal expert level.
