Archwiki
- The documents do not say whether your data trains AI.
- The policy rules out using your data for targeted ads.
- Data is shared only with the providers who run the service.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
A Linux project site that logs visits, keeps forum/wiki posts after you leave, and can close accounts without notice.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
IP, browser, account details, keys, and optional map coordinates if you register.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“when you visit our website, you transmit certain technical data to us, namely: • IP address, • accessed content, • information about the transmission, • date of access,”
Training
They use it to run the site, accounts, forums, wiki, AUR, GitLab, and security logs.
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Privacy policy
“We process your data to provide you with the account, the forums and the respective functions.”
Sharing
Hosting company Hetzner and, for IRC, Libera Chat; staff can see hidden emails.
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Privacy policy
“These external service providers are primarily providers of IT services, such as our hosting service provider Hetzner (Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany).”
Kept
Logs last 91 days; account data is deleted later, but posts and some names stay.
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Privacy policy
“We store the log files for a period of 91 days and delete them afterwards.”
Controls
You can email them to access, fix, or delete data, or object to some uses.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You have the right to demand that we delete any personal data relating to you immediately.”
Fine print
They can close you anytime; you them; ToS changes come by email four weeks ahead.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Both parties can terminate Terms of Service without cause and any period of notice.”
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.
Email to access, correct, delete, or object
privacy@archlinux.org
Unsubscribe from mailing lists
Your subscription page on lists.archlinux.org
Withdraw donor-name publication
Email them to withdraw consent for listing on archlinux.org/donate/
Object to a ToS change in writing
Email within two weeks of the change announcement
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
If your posts get them sued, you may have to pay their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“If Users have culpably violated obligations arising from these Terms of Service and a claim is made against us by a third party as a result, Users are obligated to us against all costs incurred in this connection.”
For example, if you upload a package that infringes a copyright and someone sues Arch Linux, they can bill you for lawyer fees.
They can shut your account at any time without warning or a reason.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Both parties can terminate Terms of Service without cause and any period of notice.”
For example, they could disable your AUR login today and you would not get advance notice.
Deleting your AUR account does not wipe your name and email from package history.
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Privacy policy
“In case you delete your account, we retain your user name and email address based on our of a consistent documentation of the submitted packages, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f) .”
For example, a package you uploaded years ago can still show your old email after you leave.
They keep the right to host your posts even after you close the account.
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Terms of service
“The aforementioned rights of use remain in force even in the event of termination of the User account.”
For example, a wiki page you wrote can stay online forever after you delete your login.
If you put them in your account, they store exact map coordinates.
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Privacy policy
“your geographic coordinates (longitude/latitude),”
For example, filling a profile location field could store your home latitude and longitude.
Forum and wiki posts can show up in Google and they will not get them taken down.
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Terms of service
“Users acknowledge that contributions and topics can be recorded in search engines and thus become accessible worldwide.”
For example, an old forum rant can still appear in search after you delete your account.
Visit logs including IP addresses are kept about three months then deleted.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We store the log files for a period of 91 days and delete them afterwards.”
For example, the IP from a package download is gone from their logs after 91 days.
Cookies are for running the site, not for ads.
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Privacy policy
“The only purpose of the cookies set on our website is to enable you to use the website and its functions safely.”
For example, a login cookie keeps you signed into the wiki without tracking you for ads.
They email registered users four weeks before ToS changes take effect.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“The planned amendments to the Terms of Service will be announced to you by e-mail to the e-mail address you provided during registration no later than four weeks before the planned effective date.”
For example, you get an email in time to object or leave before new rules start.
Adults can use it; kids need parent permission, but they do not describe an ID check.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“The use of the Services is only permitted to natural persons who are of legal age and capable of contracting without restriction. Minors may also be Users, provided they have the permission of their parents or legal representatives.”
For example, a 16-year-old could tick that a parent agreed with no extra proof.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- retention
- How long a company keeps your data before deleting it. For example, a policy might keep your messages for 30 days after you delete them, or for as long as it likes.
- legitimate interest
- A legal reason that lets a company use your data without asking, when it decides its own need outweighs your privacy. For example, an app may analyse how you use it to improve the product, without ever asking you.
- GDPR
- Europe's privacy law, which requires a legal reason for using your data and gives you strong rights over it. For example, an EU user can demand to know why the app keeps their location history.
- 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.
How we got here · grade B · score 51/100 · 14 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 3 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
Besides account and posts they collect IP, browser, referrer, keys, and optional geographic coordinates.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
The documents do not describe collecting voice, face, or body data.
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?
Cookies are only for using the site safely; they say they do not profile you for ads.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They name hosting (Hetzner) and point IRC users to Libera Chat; no sale of data is described.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep copyright, but you grant them the rights they need to host posts forever, even after you leave.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
Logs last 91 days. After account deletion they still keep many posts and sometimes username and email.
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?
They say logs exist to keep systems secure; they do not describe audits or a bug-bounty program.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
Services are for adults; minors need parent permission, with no age-check described.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Policies are version-dated. ToS changes are emailed at least four weeks ahead with an objection window.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
Either side can end the contract with no notice; they can terminate or block you at their discretion.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
You must indemnify them if your content causes a third-party claim; their own damage claims are largely excluded except for intent, gross negligence, and injury.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Accounts are free; donations go through SPI/PayPal, not a site subscription.
The privacy policy is 2,573 words at a fairly hard level (Flesch reading ease 59.2); the terms are 2,275 words at a college level.
