Bitly
- 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.
Bitly’s terms take a license on your links, auto-renew paid plans with no refunds.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Bitly’s own privacy policy is missing; terms mention names, emails, IPs and link data.
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Terms of service
“Information processed in order to redirect end users or otherwise required to provide the Services. This might include but is not limited to: IP address”
Training
They use your links to run the service and may use data for ads, analytics, and marketing.
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Terms of service
“Bitly may share such information with its partners, vendors and service providers, including without limitation in order to provide research, analytics, support, security, fraud prevention, spam prevention, advertising, and/or email marketing”
Sharing
Vendors, partners, and advertisers can see data; preview pages may show ads.
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Terms of service
“Destination Preview pages may also include advertising as described in Bitly’s Privacy Policy.”
Kept
Link product data is kept until you ask them to purge it.
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Terms of service
“Product data is being retained until the customer submits a purge request.”
Controls
You can cancel a paid plan in your account; deletion is mainly by asking them to purge data.
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Terms of service
“You may cancel your paid account subscription at any time, however, unless required by law, no refunds or credits will be provided”
Fine print
waiver, as-is service, and you must cover their legal costs.
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.
Cancel a paid subscription in your account before the next billing cycle
Cancel your subscription in your Bitly account (Section 6.2 / Section 2)
Ask them in writing to purge product data
Customer purge request as described in the DPA schedule
Buy a paid tier if you want ad-free destination previews for end users
Fee-based Bitly Service that excludes advertising (Section 1.4)
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 keep using and sharing the links and info you give them forever, even beyond running the shortener.
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Terms of service
“You hereby grant to Bitly an , , non-exclusive, , transferable, , worldwide license, to use, copy, import, display, reproduce, perform, distribute, create derivative works, alter or modify all URLs and other information provided by You to Bitly”
For example, a URL you shortened could be copied or reused by Bitly or others after you stop using the product.
If someone sues Bitly over your links or content, you may have to pay their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“You will and Bitly, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and their employees, officers, directors, representatives, contractors, customers, business partners, successors and assigns”
For example, if a shortened link points to copyrighted material and Bitly is sued, you could owe their lawyer fees.
Paid plans renew and you usually do not get money back if you cancel early.
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Terms of service
“Fees are non-refundable except as required by law or as otherwise specifically permitted in this Agreement.”
For example, if you cancel a yearly plan after a week, they keep the full year fee unless the law says otherwise.
They can cut off your account without warning if they think you broke the rules.
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Terms of service
“Bitly reserves the right to suspend your access to the Services or terminate this Agreement without notice for violation of the Agreement.”
For example, a link they flag as prohibited could get your account shut off before you can export stats.
If they change the rules and you keep using Bitly, they treat that as your yes.
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Terms of service
“By continuing to access or use the Bitly Services after the Last Updated Date, you are indicating that you agree to be bound by the modified Agreement.”
For example.
They do not promise the shortener will work, stay up, or be error-free.
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Terms of service
“BITLY SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED”
For example, if a campaign link dies, they say you cannot hold them to a .
Your link data stays until you ask them in writing to delete it.
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Terms of service
“Product data is being retained until the customer submits a purge request.”
For example, old click stats may sit on their systems until you email a purge request.
Prices can go up, but they say they will tell you before the next charge.
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Terms of service
“Fees are subject to change and Bitly will notify you of any pricing change prior to processing your next recurring charge.”
For example, your monthly plan could cost more next cycle after they send a notice.
When they act as a processor for business customers, they say they will not sell that customer’s personal information.
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Terms of service
“Bitly shall not: (a) Sell or Share Customer Personal Information;”
For example, employee emails you put in an enterprise account should not be sold as a data sale under that DPA.
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.
- 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.
- perpetual
- Lasting forever, with no end date. For example, a perpetual licence means the company can keep using your video years after you leave.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- sell or share
- Under California law, selling means passing your data to others for money or other value; sharing means passing it on for targeted ads. For example, letting an ad network use your browsing history in return for ad space counts as a sale.
- 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 32/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 5 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
Bitly’s terms and DPA mention account-style details plus IP addresses and data needed to redirect and count clicks. A full consumer collection list is not in Bitly’s own privacy policy here.
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?
Destination preview pages may include advertising, and they say they may share information for advertising and marketing.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with partners and vendors for ads and marketing. The processor DPA says they will not sell customer personal information, but consumer opt-out is pointed to a privacy policy we do not have.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You grant Bitly a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable license over URLs and other materials you provide.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
The DPA says product data is kept until the customer submits a purge request.
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?
The DPA says they keep technical and organizational measures and security documentation available on request. No independent audit is named in the text.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
Not stated in the documents.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
They may change the terms and say keeping using the service after the new date means you accept.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may suspend or terminate without notice for alleged violations or security concerns.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is, liability is capped at fees paid, and you must indemnify Bitly for claims about your content.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Paid plans renew until you cancel. Fees are non-refundable except as required by law. They say they will notify you before a price change.
The privacy policy is 4,552 words at a college graduate level (Flesch reading ease 39.6); the terms are 10,720 words at a college graduate level.
