Arduino (Forum)
- 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.
Arduino collects account, browsing, and ad data, shares it for ads, takes a license on posts, and binds U.S.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, browsing and device data, city-level location, purchases, and sometimes partner logins.
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Privacy policy
“Arduino collects personal data in a variety of contexts, as detailed in Section 1, "Collection of Personal Data" below.”
Training
They run your account, market to you, profile groups for ads, and may use published content broadly.
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Privacy policy
“We may carry out profiling in order to better understand users of Arduino services, organise (segment) users into groups that share similar interests and characteristics”
Sharing
Service providers, Qualcomm companies, other users on forums, and ad partners they treat as a sale or share.
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Privacy policy
“This category of personal information may be sold or shared for analytics, marketing, advertising and cross-context behavioral advertising.”
Kept
Accounts last while active; unused accounts close after 24 months; forum posts can stay 5 years.
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Privacy policy
“If you do not access your account for 24 months, we will deactivate it.”
Controls
Email privacy@arduino.cc or use their form; U.S. users can click Do Not Sell or Share.
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Privacy policy
“You may exercise your by emailing us at privacy@arduino.cc or completing Qualcomm Group's web form here.”
Fine print
U.S. paid plans auto-renew; you them.
No exact line could be verified.
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.
Opt out of sale or sharing for ads
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link at the bottom of the homepage, or honor GPC signals
or access
Email privacy@arduino.cc or Qualcomm Group web form described in Section 8
Cancel your account
Logged-in account management page; cancellation finalizes after seven business days
Opt out of U.S.
Mail via Agostino da Montefeltro, 2 - 10134 Turin - Italy or email legal@arduino.cc within 30 days with name, address, and signature
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 you post projects, comments, or other content, they get a lasting right to use, copy, change, and it worldwide.
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Terms of service
“User grants to Arduino the non-exclusive, , transferable, , , , to the maximum extent allowed by applicable law”
For example, a sketch you upload to Project Hub could still be used by Arduino after you delete your account.
They treat some browsing, ID, location, and inference data as sold or shared with ad companies.
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Privacy policy
“This category of personal information may be sold or shared for analytics, marketing, advertising and cross-context behavioral advertising.”
For example, cookies on arduino.cc can help other companies show you ads on other sites.
If someone sues them because of how you used the site, you may have to pay their legal costs.
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Terms of service
“User shall and Arduino, its Affiliates, licensors, and service providers, and its and their respective officers, directors, employees”
For example, if a project you posted leads to a lawsuit, they can ask you to cover their lawyers.
U.S. unless they opt out in time.
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Terms of service
“all controversies, causes of action, claims, counterclaims, or other disputes between you and Arduino or you and a third-party agent of Arduino”
For example, if billing goes wrong, you generally cannot join a lawsuit in court.
Community posts can stay online for years after you cancel, unless you separately ask to remove them.
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Privacy policy
“Posts remain in Forum and Project Hub for 5 years, without prejudice to your at any time and/or to request the deletion of posts as well.”
For example, a forum question you posted could still show for five years after you close the account.
They mostly disclaim and cap what they will pay if something breaks, except where consumer law forbids it.
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Terms of service
“THE PLATFORM AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, WITHOUT ANY OF ANY KIND”
For example, if Cloud downtime wipes a project, they may owe at most what you paid in the last 12 months.
They can watch how you use any Arduino AI features for operations, compliance, and legal requests.
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Terms of service
“Arduino reserves the right to monitor User accounts and use of the AI Products, including but not limited to usage of features and functions, compute time, and storage”
For example, heavy use of an AI coding helper could be logged and reviewed for policy violations.
They say kids under 18 are not included in the ad sale/share they describe for adults.
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Privacy policy
“We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of minors under the age of 18.”
For example, a 15-year-old Restricted Account should not have browsing data sold for ads.
Subscriptions renew automatically, but they say they email a reminder before charging.
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Terms of service
“We will provide User with reminder notices of recurring subscription payments to the email address provided by User”
For example, a few days before a monthly Cloud plan renews, they email you a reminder.
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.
- profiling
- Building a picture of who you are, what you like and what you might do next from your data. For example, an app may guess your income, health or politics from what you watch and tap.
- 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.
- data subject rights
- The legal rights you have over your data, such as seeing it, fixing it, deleting it or moving it. For example, you can email the company and ask for a copy of everything it holds about you.
- 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.
- sublicensable
- The company can pass its rights over your content on to other companies without asking you. For example, an app can let an advertiser or a partner reuse your video under the licence you gave.
- perpetual
- Lasting forever, with no end date. For example, a perpetual licence means the company can keep using your video years after you leave.
- irrevocable
- Cannot be taken back or cancelled once given, even if you change your mind or delete your account. For example, an irrevocable licence to your photos means you cannot withdraw it later.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How we got here · grade C · score 42/100 · 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 account and purchase data plus device, browsing, IP, and city-level location for the site and apps.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
The consumer products are not described as recording voice or face. Facility cameras are mentioned only for physical security.
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?
They use third-party cookies and share identifiers, browsing, location, and inferences for targeted and cross-context ads.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they do not take money for data but have sold or shared categories for ads, with a U.S. opt-out.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership of posts, but you grant Arduino a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable license to use published content for any purpose.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can cancel in account settings, but forum posts and some records can be kept for years, including five years on the Forum.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They profile users into interest groups for marketing and ads. They do not describe viewing, editing, or turning that profile off.
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?
Under-18 users need parent consent, age confirmation, Junior or Restricted accounts, and they say they do not sell minors’ data.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Both documents are dated. Privacy says they notify of material changes; terms take effect 30 days after notice.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They say they suspend or close accounts for stated reasons and must notify you, but they do not describe exporting your data first.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
Services are as-is, liability is capped at 12 months of fees, and you must indemnify Arduino for claims from your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Subscriptions auto-renew until you cancel. They send reminder emails and describe EU cooling-off refunds; most other purchases are non-refundable.
The privacy policy is 9,962 words at a professional or legal expert level (Flesch reading ease 0); the terms are 14,079 words at a professional or legal expert level.
