Bbc
- The policy allows AI training; it does not describe an opt-out.
- Your data is used for ads and shared with data brokers.
- Data is shared with partners and affiliates; you can opt out.
- Staff may review your content; the policy does not describe an opt-out.
BBC.com collects usage, ads, and broker data, personalises ads, and takes a licence over what you post.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
- Uses your content for AI training with no opt-out
- Shares data with data brokers
Collected
Account details, what you read, device IDs, cookies, inferred interests, and data from brokers.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We also use data from data brokers such as Experian mosaic data.”
Training
They personalise content and ads, train recommendation models on usage, and market on other sites.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Data about your use of our services will be used to train the aggregate models used to create recommendations.”
Sharing
BBC group companies, suppliers, ad networks, social platforms, and sometimes law enforcement.
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Privacy policy
“your information may be shared between companies in the BBC group (including BBC Public Service and BBC Studios companies such as UKTV and Britbox International)”
Kept
They keep it as long as they need it; unused accounts are deleted after 18 months.
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Privacy policy
“If you have a BBC account, your account will be deleted after 18 months of inactivity, unless you have an active subscription with us.”
Controls
Cookie settings, hashed-email ad opt-out, GPC, unsubscribe links, and account deletion.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You can disable the use of your hashed email address for personalised marketing and advertising in your BBC Account settings.”
Fine print
Rules can change when posted; they can cut access without notice; posts get a licence.
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Terms of service
“BBC.com may, in its sole discretion, and at any time, discontinue the Services or any part of the Services, with or without 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.
Turn off personalised ads and hashed-email matching
Website/app Cookie or Privacy Settings, and BBC Account settings for hashed email
Opt out of sale or sharing (including GPC)
Privacy settings in the site footer or app; enable Global Privacy Control in your browser
Unsubscribe from marketing emails
Unsubscribe link in the email footer or preference centre
Delete your BBC account
My Account homepage after cancelling any active subscription; or dataprotection@bbc.com
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
Anything you post they can copy, change, and share forever, even after you leave.
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Terms of service
“you hereby grant to BBC.com and its Affiliated Entities a non-exclusive, , worldwide, fully-paid, , , and licence to use, modify, publicly perform, publicly display, create derivative works of, adapt, remove, delete, reproduce, and distribute such User Content”
For example, a comment you leave on an article could be reused on other BBC sites or platforms without paying you.
They buy extra information about you from outside companies, not just from the site.
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Privacy policy
“We also use data from data brokers such as Experian mosaic data.”
For example, a marketing profile from Experian could be mixed with what you read on BBC.com.
Ad partners can mix BBC data with browsing, social, and even store-card data to target you.
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Privacy policy
“This may include the advertiser client’s own marketing database, demographics (e.g. from data brokers and credit reference agencies), online cross-site browsing behaviour, social media data, and offline data”
For example, an airline ad might use both an article you read and loyalty-card data from a broker.
They can shut the site or lock you out whenever they want, without warning.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“BBC.com may, in its sole discretion, and at any time, discontinue the Services or any part of the Services, with or without notice, or may prevent your use of the Services or access to Content with or without notice to you.”
For example, your saved articles could vanish overnight with no email first.
New rules apply as soon as they post them; keeping using the site means you agree.
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Terms of service
“We may modify these Terms, or add or remove terms at any time, and such modifications, additions, or deletions will be effective immediately upon posting. Your use of the Services after such posting shall constitute acceptance”
For example, they could add new ad uses today and you would be treated as agreeing if you keep reading.
They do not promise the site will work or be accurate, and they limit what they owe you.
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Terms of service
“OUR SERVICES AND THE CONTENT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND ON AN "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATION OR ENDORSEMENT OF ANY KIND.”
For example, if a story or app feature is wrong or down, they say you use it at your own risk.
What you read helps train their recommendation systems.
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Privacy policy
“Data about your use of our services will be used to train the aggregate models used to create recommendations.”
For example, how long you stay on a sports page can train models that pick stories for other people too.
You can wipe the account yourself after cancelling any paid plan.
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Privacy policy
“You can delete your BBC account at any time, unless you have an active subscription.”
For example, after you cancel a US BBC.com subscription you can delete the account from My Account.
A browser GPC setting can tell them you want out of some ad sharing.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Where applicable, we recognise Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals.”
For example, turning on GPC in your browser can opt that browser out of some targeted ads.
If there is a chatbot, they tell you not to type personal details into it.
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Terms of service
“You are prohibited from submitting personal information to a chat feature available on the Services.”
For example, you should not put your address or health details into a BBC.com chat box.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- data broker
- A company that buys, collects and resells information about people, usually without ever meeting them. For example, your phone number and shopping habits can be sold as part of a list to a company you never heard of.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How we got here · grade F · score 28/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 2 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect account and content data plus usage, device IDs, inferred interests, social posts, and data from brokers.
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?
Usage data trains aggregate recommendation models and they use machine learning and large language models on their data, with no training opt-out described.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
They may evaluate, monitor, alter, or refuse user posts, and chat records may be shared with vendors, with no review opt-out.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They run personalised ads and use data brokers, credit agencies, cross-site browsing, and hashed emails with ad platforms.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They treat some ad matching as sale or sharing under US law and offer cookie settings, account controls, and GPC to opt out.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership of posts, but they take a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable licence that survives after you leave.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
They keep data as long as needed; unused accounts last 18 months. You can delete an account after cancelling a subscription.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They build inferred preference and ad profiles from what you read; you can limit ads but not a full memory editor.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe staff training, technology, and organisational safeguards, but not audits or a public bug-bounty program.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
Most services are for general audiences; some are age-restricted and they may check age or ask a parent, but it is not a strong gate.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The privacy policy is dated and says they will post a notice for material changes; terms change immediately on posting and continued use counts as acceptance.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may discontinue the service or block your access at any time with or without notice.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is “as is,” they disclaim warranties, and they exclude a wide range of losses.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 8,169 words at a professional or legal expert level (Flesch reading ease 27.1); the terms are 4,819 words at a college graduate level.
