Defensivecarry
- The policy allows AI training; it does not describe an opt-out.
- 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.
Public posts can be licensed for AI training; ads track you; they can close your account anytime.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
- Capped at C (the answers alone would give D): Uses your content for AI training with no opt-out
Collected
Account info, public posts, device IDs, usage logs, cookies, and extra data from partners.
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Privacy policy
“We may log certain information when you access and use our Sites. This may include your IP address, user-agent string, browser type, operating system, referral URLs, device information (e.g., device IDs)”
Training
They run the site, target ads, and may use your public posts to train AI models.
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Privacy policy
“we may disclose or license Content that you have made publicly available through our public forums or communications platforms with third party partners, including for use in connection with artificial intelligence”
Sharing
Affiliates, service providers, and ad partners can get your data; forum posts are public.
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Privacy policy
“we may share certain information about your device and browsing habits, including IP addresses and other online identifiers, with third-party advertising partners”
Kept
They say they keep it only as long as needed, with no clear number of days.
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Privacy policy
“We keep your information for no longer than necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.”
Controls
You can edit some profile fields, unsubscribe from emails, and opt out of ad sales.
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Privacy policy
“If you have an account with us, you can access and correct certain of the information in your account or public user profile by logging in to your account or profile”
Fine print
They can change the rules or close your account without notice; you them; site is as-is.
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Terms of service
“We may cancel or terminate your right to use the Web Site or any part of the Web Site at any time 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.
Opt out of cookie-based ad sale/sharing
Your Privacy Choices icon in the site footer (each browser and device)
or access of personal information
Email privacy@verticalscope.com or mail VerticalScope Inc., Attention: Privacy, 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada
Edit public profile details
Log in to your account or public user profile
Unsubscribe from marketing emails
Unsubscribe link in emails or communication preferences in your account
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 what you post forever, even after you leave, and can pass that right to others.
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Terms of service
“you grant us a worldwide, , , , non-exclusive, transferable and license to use, copy, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works of, distribute, store, perform, and display your Content”
For example, a gun-forum post you delete later could still be used by them or a partner in an AI system.
Your public posts can be used to train AI, including by partners, with no opt-out described.
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Terms of service
“including for use in connection with artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, such as large language model development, training, testing and operation, and retrieval-augmented generation systems, by us and/or our partners”
For example, a story you write about a range trip could be fed into a partner’s language model.
They can shut your account whenever they want and do not have to warn you first.
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Terms of service
“We may cancel or terminate your right to use the Web Site or any part of the Web Site at any time without notice.”
For example, you could lose access to your threads overnight with no email.
If someone sues over your posts, you may have to pay their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“You agree to DefensiveCarry.com and VerticalScope and each of its officers, directors, employees, agents, distributors and affiliates from and against any and all third party claims”
For example, if a photo you upload leads to a lawsuit, you could owe their lawyer fees.
Sharing browsing and device data with ad companies can count as selling your information.
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Privacy policy
“The disclosure of your information to these third parties to assist us in providing these services may be considered a "sale" of personal information under applicable law”
For example, an ad network could get identifiers from your visit and show you gun ads elsewhere.
Ad partners follow you across sites to target ads.
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Privacy policy
“We and our service providers and third-party advertising partners also use these technologies to track your activities on our Site and other websites”
For example, pages you click on the forum can help decide ads you see on other sites.
Anything you post on the forum is open for anyone, including advertisers, to read.
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Privacy policy
“Your Content and public user profile is public, unencrypted and non-confidential. This means that it can be read and used by others, including advertisers.”
For example, a post about the gun you own can be seen by strangers and ad companies.
If they change the rules, using the site again means you accept the new rules.
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Terms of service
“you agree that each visit you make to DefensiveCarry.com shall be subject to the current terms and conditions as published on our website”
For example, they could add new AI uses and you would be bound just by logging in again.
They do not promise the site will work or be safe, and they limit what they owe you.
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Terms of service
“THE INFORMATION, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OFFERED ON OR THROUGH THE WEB SITE AND ANY THIRD-PARTY SITES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND OF ANY KIND”
For example, if a bug wipes your posts, the terms say they are not on the hook.
U.S. users can turn off some cookie-based ad sharing from the site footer.
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Privacy policy
“please click on the "Your Privacy Choices" icon accessible on the footer of the Site.”
For example, you can click Your Privacy Choices on each browser you use to reduce targeted ads.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How we got here · grade F · score 31/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 4 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect account details, public posts, IP address, device IDs, usage logs, cookies, and extra demographic data from third parties.
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?
Public forum content is licensed for AI training by them and partners, with no training opt-out described.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Not stated in the documents.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
Third-party ad partners use cookies and IDs to track you on this site and other sites for targeted ads.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
Sharing with ad partners may count as a sale; U.S. users can opt out via Your Privacy Choices or email.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership, but you grant a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable license that includes AI use.
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 their purposes; deletion is by request, 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 say they use safeguards but do not guarantee security and do not describe audits or a bug-bounty program.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The site is meant for people 18 and older; they do not describe age checks beyond that statement.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The privacy policy is dated, but the terms say each visit is bound by whatever is posted then, with no promised notice.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may cancel your access at any time without notice and do not describe an export step first.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The site is as-is with broad damage limits, and you must indemnify them for claims from your content.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 5,501 words at a college graduate level (Flesch reading ease 36.7); the terms are 3,874 words at a college graduate level.
