Alison
- The documents do not say whether your data trains AI.
- Your data is used for personalized ads, including by third-party ad companies.
- Data is shared with partners and affiliates; you can opt out.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
Free courses funded by third-party ads; they can close your account anytime and keep learning records.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account details, course progress, device and IP data, cookies, and optional profile or test answers.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Alison collects data directly from the User input but also in automated ways such as through system logs, cookies, web beacons and integration with third party service providers.”
Training
They use it to run the site, send progress emails, improve courses, and show third-party ads.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“In order to provide free Services Alison collects data to uniquely identify each registered user and provide online advertising through globally recognised third parties”
Sharing
Cloud hosts, payment firms, publishers ( stats), and ad networks you do not control.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Alison has no access to these third party cookies or tracking technology nor any control over how third party advertising service providers use the data they collect.”
Kept
Learner records stay until you close the account and ask for deletion; some data is kept .
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Individual User learner records will remain on the Alison platform unless the User explicitly closes their Alison account and requests your personal account data to be deleted.”
Controls
You can edit your account, deactivate it, and use industry ad opt-out links they list.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You have the power to modify your personal data and the power to deactivate your account and request the removal of your personally identifiable information when you delete your account.”
Fine print
They can close you anytime with no notice; Premium auto-renews; you them; Irish courts.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Either Alison or the User can deactivate a User account at any time without reason, notice or further obligation.”
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.
Deactivate your account and request personal data deletion
User account self-service tools, or Customer Services / [email protected]
Cancel Premium before renewal
Through your User Account (they say you can cancel at any time)
Opt out of personalised ads
Network Advertising Initiative or Digital Advertising Alliance consumer opt-out links, and Google Ads Settings, as listed in the privacy policy
Keep profile and résumé private
Your user account: they say you can share or unshare profile information
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
They can shut your account whenever they want, with no warning and no extra duty to you.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Either Alison or the User can deactivate a User account at any time without reason, notice or further obligation.”
For example, you could lose access to in-progress courses overnight with no email first.
If they get sued because of how you used the site, you may have to pay their legal bills.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“The User will and hold Alison (including its Affiliates, officers, directors, and employees) harmless against any claims, damages, losses or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of User breach of these Terms of Use or in relation to the User’s negligence, wilful misconduct, improper or abusive usage of the platform.”
For example, a comment you post that someone sues over could leave you covering Alison’s lawyer costs.
Ad companies track you across the web to show targeted ads while you learn for free.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Cookies and tracking pixels are used by advertising service providers as independent third party to enable personalised advertising to the User based on intent, search history and demographics”
For example, a course you open could help Google or Facebook show you related ads elsewhere.
If they think you broke the rules, they can lock you out immediately with no warning.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Alison reserves the right without notice to block or deactivate any User account that breaches these terms of use.”
For example, a comment they call inappropriate could get your whole account blocked the same day.
Premium keeps charging you until you cancel it yourself.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“The monthly and yearly subscription shall renew automatically at the end of each term unless cancelled.”
For example, a one-month Premium plan bills again next month if you forget to cancel.
Reviews and posts you make public can be reused by Alison for marketing.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“When you share content or make a public posting you are consenting to granting Alison a non-exclusive right and license to reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, offer, market and otherwise use and exploit the Public Postings and Shared Content.”
For example, a course review you write could appear in their ads.
Closing the account is meant to wipe personal details, but a stripped learning history can stay.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“If a User opts to delete their User account, Alison will delete all PII, Profile and Resumé data, and will irreversibly their learner record.”
For example, your name is gone but they may still keep that “someone” finished a course.
They promise industry-style security, including encryption and limited staff access.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Alison shall ensure that security measures shall be no less rigorous than accepted industry practices with respect to Data Security.”
For example, they say databases are not open to ordinary employees and admins need extra login steps.
Kids under 13 (or 16 in the EEA) should not sign up; they may delete those accounts if found.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Digital consent is generally not legally recognised for children under the age of 13, or under the age of 16 where such children reside in the European Economic Area.”
For example, a 12-year-old who registers could have the account removed if Alison notices.
If you sue as a regular user, you would do it in Irish courts.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Any dispute arising out of this agreement shall be subject to the exclusive of the courts of the Republic of Ireland.”
For example, a billing fight would go to Ireland rather than a US small-claims court.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- inputs and outputs
- Inputs are what you type, say or upload to an AI; outputs are what it gives back to you. For example, the question you ask a chatbot is an input and its answer is an output, and both may be stored.
- cookies
- Small files a website saves on your device so it can recognise you and remember what you did. For example, a cookie keeps you logged in and can also tell an ad company which sites you visited.
- tracking pixels
- Tiny invisible images or bits of code in a page, app or email that report back when and where you opened it. For example, a pixel in a marketing email tells the sender the moment you read it.
- third parties
- Any company or person other than you and the app, such as advertisers, partners or analytics firms. For example, an analytics company that receives a record of every screen you tap is a third party.
- 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.
- 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.
- indemnify
- You promise to pay the company's legal costs and losses if your use of the service gets it sued. For example, if you post a song you do not own and the label sues the app, you owe the app's lawyer bills.
- affiliates
- Other companies owned by or connected to the same parent company. For example, if you use one app, its sister apps under the same owner may also get your data.
- data controller
- The company that decides why and how your data is used, and is responsible for it under privacy law. For example, the app maker is the controller; the cloud company storing files for it is only a processor.
- targeted advertising
- Ads chosen for you based on what you have done across other apps and websites, not just this one. For example, you look at shoes in one app and see shoe ads in a totally different app the next day.
- worldwide license
- You let the company use your content anywhere on earth, usually for free and for as long as it likes. For example, a video you post can be shown in ads in any country without asking you again.
- de-identified
- Data with your name and obvious identifiers removed, though it can sometimes still be traced back to you. For example, your chats with names stripped out may still be kept and studied after you delete your account.
How we got here · grade C · score 41/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 3 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect registration info, course activity, cookies, IP and device data, and optional profile, résumé and assessment answers.
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?
Free learning is funded by third-party ad networks that use cookies and pixels for personalised ads.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with ad and analytics partners as separate controllers and point to industry opt-out pages; they say they will not share PII with third parties without user consent.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
Public posts grant Alison a non-exclusive licence to reproduce and market that content; they do not claim you lose ownership of private course work.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can deactivate the account and request deletion; they delete PII and anonymise the learner record, but no in-app 30-day wipe timeline is given.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
You can build a profile and résumé and they say you can view and change that data in your account.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe encryption, access limits, logging, MFA for admins, and industry-practice security.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
They say under-13s (under-16 in the EEA) should not register without supervision and they may delete such accounts; no age-check process is described.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The privacy policy is dated August 2022; they say material updates go by email and continued use counts as acceptance.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
Either side can deactivate an account at any time without reason or notice.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
Services are as-is with broad liability exclusions, and you must indemnify Alison for certain claims.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Premium auto-renews; you can cancel in the account; fee changes get at least 30 days’ notice; refunds are limited.
The privacy policy is 2,177 words at a college level (Flesch reading ease 42.5); the terms are 14,283 words at a college graduate level.
