Anki
- 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.
Free flashcard sync: unused decks expire after 6 months, they can cut access anytime, and the service is as-is.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
These terms do not list what they collect; they send you to a privacy policy we did not have.
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Terms of service
“Please see our privacy policy to understand the information we store when you use the service, why we store it, and the limited ways in which we share it.”
Training
They use the service for syncing and optional public deck sharing, not described as ads or AI training.
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Terms of service
“You may optionally share a deck you have uploaded, making it available for others to download from AnkiWeb.”
Sharing
Shared decks are public to download; they also give data to others when the law requires it.
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Terms of service
“We will provide your information to third parties when required to do so by law.”
Kept
If you do not use your account for 6 months or more, they delete stored decks to cut costs.
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Terms of service
“Decks stored in your account will expire if your account is not accessed in 6 months or longer.”
Controls
You can take a shared deck off their servers, but people who already downloaded it keep it.
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Terms of service
“You may elect to remove the shared deck from our servers at any time. This will stop us from providing the deck for download.”
Fine print
They can cut access anytime, the service is as-is, and they will notify you of big term changes.
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Terms of service
“As the service is provided to you at no charge, we reserve the right to suspend or remove your access to the service at our sole discretion.”
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.
Keep a local backup of your decks
Terms: — keep a local backup
Log in at least every 6 months
Terms: Account Expiry
Unshare a deck if you no longer want new downloads
Terms: Sharing — remove the shared deck from servers
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 off your account whenever they want, without promising a reason or warning.
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Terms of service
“As the service is provided to you at no charge, we reserve the right to suspend or remove your access to the service at our sole discretion.”
For example, you could lose web access to your synced decks overnight with no email first.
If you stop logging in for half a year, they delete the decks stored on AnkiWeb to save money.
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Terms of service
“Decks stored in your account will expire if your account is not accessed in 6 months or longer.”
For example, a summer-break account you ignore until next school year could have its cloud decks wiped.
They do not promise the site will work, stay up, or keep your cards safe.
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Terms of service
“THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS". WHEN ALLOWED BY LOCAL LAW, WE HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED”
For example, if a sync error corrupts your cards, they say you used the service at your own risk.
If something goes wrong, they try not to pay you even for lost decks.
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Terms of service
“TO THE EXTENT NOT PROHIBITED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL WE BE FOR ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR OTHER DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF DATA”
For example, if their servers drop your exam cards, these terms say they are not on the hook for that loss.
Public sharing gives them permission to host and offer your deck to anyone, without paying you.
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Terms of service
“When you share a deck, you grant us a worldwide, , non-exclusive license to make the deck available to users under the Shared Deck License below.”
For example, a vocabulary deck you share can be downloaded by strangers worldwide under their rules.
Unsharing only stops new downloads. Copies already on other people's computers stay there.
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Terms of service
“We do not store records of who has downloaded a certain deck, so we can not retroactively remove a deck from users who have already downloaded it.”
For example, if you shared lecture notes then change your mind, people who already grabbed them keep them.
There is no stated age number or ID check; a parent is supposed to agree if you are too young.
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Terms of service
“If you are not old enough to legally agree to this document, please have a parent or guardian agree on your behalf.”
For example, a 14-year-old can still sign up if they or a parent click through these terms.
They promise to tell you about big rule changes, not just silently update the page.
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Terms of service
“If we make significant changes to these terms, we will notify you via a message on the website, a message when you sync, or via an email.”
For example, if they add paid plans, they say you should see a site, sync, or email notice.
AnkiWeb itself is free for now; they may later charge for bigger accounts or extra features.
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Terms of service
“Use of the service is currently free, and the hosting costs are supported by sales of the iPhone app .”
For example, a huge medical deck might someday need a paid plan if they switch to freemium.
They tell you that keeping copies on your own computer is your job, not theirs.
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Terms of service
“Please keep a local backup of your data for safety's sake.”
For example, you should still export or keep Anki on your laptop even if you sync to AnkiWeb.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- as is
- You get the service in whatever state it is in, with no promise that it works or will keep working. For example, if the app deletes your photos by mistake, it is not promising to fix that or pay you back.
- warranty
- A promise that a product will work as described; most apps say they make no such promise at all. For example, if a paid feature never works on your phone, a no-warranty clause says that is your problem.
- 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.
- 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.
- royalty-free
- The company can use your content without ever paying you for it. For example, your photo can appear in the app's ads and you get nothing.
How we got here · grade F · score 28/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 9 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?
If you share a deck, you give them a worldwide royalty-free license to host it, make excerpts, and convert formats. Unsharing does not pull copies already downloaded.
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?
If you are not old enough to agree, a parent or guardian should agree. There is no stated age number or ID check.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The terms are dated 2018-10-17. They say they will notify you of significant changes on the site, at sync, or by email. Data practices live in a separate policy not included here.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
Because the service is free, they reserve the right to suspend or remove access at their sole discretion. Unused decks also expire after 6 months.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is with all warranties disclaimed where the law allows, and they limit liability including for lost data.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Use of AnkiWeb is currently free. They may later add paid accounts for larger decks or extra features.
The terms are 1,382 words at a fairly hard level.
