Cracked
- 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.
A humor site that tracks browsing for ads, takes a license on posts, 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
Account info, uploads, IP and device IDs, on-site activity, and browsing history from other sites.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“we automatically collect data about your computer or mobile device, including personal data such as your IP address, device ID, browsing history (e.g. the other sites you've visited before ours)”
Training
They use it to run the site, send newsletters, and show ads based on your activity and interests.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Some cookies may be used to provide you with advertising for our products and services or those of third parties, based on your preferences and interests.”
Sharing
Cloud, email, analytics, and ad companies see data; advertisers can combine it with what they already have.
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Privacy policy
“Advertisers are able to combine the personal data they collect independently with personal data we allow them to collect through our site.”
Kept
They keep it as long as they need it for those purposes, then say they delete it.
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Privacy policy
“We retain your personal data as long as necessary to fulfill each of the purposes we described above. Once we're done with your data, we delete it.”
Controls
Email privacy@cracked.com for access or deletion; unsubscribe from newsletters; cookie and Retention.com opt-outs exist.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“To exercise your rights, please contact us at privacy@cracked.com.”
Fine print
They can close your account without notice, take a license on posts, and you must cover their legal costs.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We may, at any time, without notice to you, terminate, block or suspend your access to the Service, and your Account.”
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 Retention.com matching
https://app.retention.com/optout
Ask them not to sell or share your data
Email privacy@cracked.com (California right to opt out)
or a copy of your data
Email privacy@cracked.com
Unsubscribe from newsletters
Unsubscribe link in emails, account preferences, or privacy@cracked.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.
A partner can tie your visit to your real email or home address for marketing.
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Privacy policy
“Retention.com's cookie collects an online identifier from your browser, which Retention.com matches against its databases to associate your visit with your email or home address.”
For example, after you read an article, they might mail ads to the home address they matched to your browser.
For some posts, they can keep using, changing, and your words forever, even after you leave.
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Terms of service
“you hereby grant Cracked an , , worldwide, , freely transferable, freely (through unlimited levels of ), non-exclusive license”
For example, a comment you posted could still be reused in their ads years after you delete your account.
They can shut you out whenever they want and do not have to warn you first.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We may, at any time, without notice to you, terminate, block or suspend your access to the Service, and your Account.”
For example, you could lose access to saved articles overnight with no email.
You promise to pay their legal bills if something related to your use of the site leads to a claim.
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Terms of service
“You agree to hold Cracked and its subsidiaries, affiliates (for example, those listed at (info@literally.media), officers, directors, employees, agents, attorneys, and suppliers”
For example, if someone sues them over a meme you uploaded, you may have to cover their lawyer fees.
They collect not only what you do on Cracked but also other sites you came from.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“browsing history (e.g. the other sites you've visited before ours), and your activity on our site (e.g. what pages you visited, for how long, and what links you clicked on).”
For example, they may know you arrived from a shopping site before reading a listicle.
If they close you, your posts may be gone from your view even though their license can continue.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“If your Account or access to the Service is terminated, you may no longer have access to the Content you posted on the Service.”
For example, you might not be able to copy your old comments before they lock you out.
In California they treat some sharing as a sale you can opt out of by contacting them.
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Privacy policy
“If you are 16 years of age or older or have consented to the sale of your personal data, you have the right to direct us not to sell or share your personal data at any time.”
For example, a California user can email privacy@cracked.com and ask them to stop selling or sharing their data.
They say they encrypt stored data and data sent over the network.
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Privacy policy
“We encrypt data in transit and at rest using secure SSL protocols.”
For example, your login should travel over HTTPS rather than in plain text.
They set a 16+ age floor but do not describe checking IDs.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You must be at least 16 (sixteen) years old to use the Service.”
For example, a 15-year-old could still type that they are 16 and create an account.
They can change product prices without telling you in advance.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Pricing details for Products and the procedures for payment and delivery are displayed via the Service, and are subject to change without notice.”
For example, a merch item could cost more at checkout than the price you saw yesterday.
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.
- device identifiers
- Codes that single out your phone or computer, used to recognise you across apps and sites. For example, the advertising ID on your phone lets two unrelated apps know they are seeing the same person.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How we got here · grade D · score 36/100 · 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 info and uploads plus IP, device IDs, on-site activity, and browsing history from other sites.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
The documents do not describe recording voice, face, or body as a product feature.
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 many third-party ad and tracking cookies and partners that match visits to email or home address.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with advertisers and partners and give California users a right to opt out of sale or sharing.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership, but they take an irrevocable, perpetual, sublicensable license on interactive content.
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 for stated purposes; deletion is by contacting them, not a stated in-app 30-day wipe.
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 describe encryption, firewalls, access limits, and backups, but not an independent audit.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
You must be at least 16; they say they do not knowingly collect from under-16s, with no ID check described.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Both documents are dated. Material term changes are posted on the site and continued use after 30 days counts as agreement; retention periods stay vague.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may terminate or block your account at any time without notice, and you may lose access to posted content.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is with liability capped at what you paid, and you must indemnify them for claims related to your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Product prices can change without notice and sales are final, though you can ask for a refund.
The privacy policy is 4,595 words at a college level (Flesch reading ease 48); the terms are 4,761 words at a college level.
