depop
- 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 policy describes staff access for safety and legal checks.
Depop takes a licence to your listings, shares data with ad partners, and keeps activity after you leave.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, listings and photos, messages, payments, device IDs, usage, and sometimes location and social data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“This can include the type of device, unique device identifying number (such as Android ID, Apple ID or browser fingerprint), what operating system is used on the device”
Training
They run the marketplace, recommend items, send marketing, and target ads on Depop and other apps.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We, and advertising partners we work with, may show you advertising on the Service or other websites by using your data to show you adverts for products we think you will like.”
Sharing
Other shoppers see your profile and listings; ads, payments, shipping, and group companies also get data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We may share data about users of the Service with our advertising partners to help us better target our ads and understand the effectiveness of our ads”
Kept
They keep data while your account is open and for a further period after you close it.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“If you deactivate your account, or we deactivate it because you have been inactive for a long time, your data will be kept for a period of time after your account has been deactivated.”
Controls
You can unsubscribe from emails, change location and push settings, and email them to stop some ad sharing.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You can contact data@depop.com to opt out of such sharing.”
Fine print
They get a forever licence to your posts; they can close you with 45 days’ notice; English law applies.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, , sub-licenseable, and licence to use, display, copy, reproduce, distribute, adapt, re-format, modify, publish, translate, store, licence, , assign, transfer, prepare derivative works, and exploit your User Content”
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 sharing with advertising partners
Email data@depop.com (they may ask you to verify identity)
Unsubscribe from marketing emails
Unsubscribe link in Depop marketing emails
Turn off location and push notifications
Your device settings or the Depop app
Close your account
iOS: app settings. Others: raise a ticket via Help Centre
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 your photos, bios and listings forever, including for ads, even after you leave.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, , sub-licenseable, and licence to use, display, copy, reproduce, distribute, adapt, re-format, modify, publish, translate, store, licence, , assign, transfer, prepare derivative works, and exploit your User Content”
For example, a photo you posted of a jacket could still appear in Depop ads years after you delete your shop.
Your Depop activity can be used to target ads to you (or people like you) on other apps.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We may share certain information with third party advertising platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Google to enable us to better target our advertising on those third party platforms”
For example, browsing sneakers on Depop could lead to sneaker ads on TikTok or Google.
You cannot turn off the recommendation algorithm without quitting Depop entirely.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“If you do not want us to use your data to do this, you must close your Depop account and cease using our Service.”
For example, if you dislike personalised feeds, the only option they give is closing the account.
If they ban you, they keep enough data to stop you coming back.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“If your account has been banned, we will retain certain data about you to prevent you from opening a new account”
For example, device IDs could be stored so a new account on the same phone is blocked.
Staff can read your buyer-seller chats when they think it is needed for orders, disputes or rule-breaking.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“If you send in-app messages or comments, or provide item descriptions, we may access, store and review these”
For example, a private message about a refund can be read by their support or moderation team.
They can shut your shop even if you did nothing wrong, as long as they give about six weeks’ notice.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We may terminate your Account or your or use all or any part of the Service without cause by giving to you not less than 45 days’ notice.”
For example, they could email you that your account ends in 45 days and then remove your listings.
If you sell as a business and someone sues Depop over your sales, you may have to pay their legal bills.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“If you are a Business User, you agree to , and Depop, its parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates”
For example, a buyer claims a branded item is fake and sues Depop; they can ask your business to cover costs.
Connecting Google or Apple can hand over extra social data, including friends lists, depending on your settings.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“The data we may receive includes your name, ID or handle, profile picture, gender, username, user ID, age or age range, language, country, friends list, follower list”
For example, linking a social login might import your follower list into Depop.
You must be at least 13. They do not describe extra checks beyond that statement.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Our Service is only available to users aged 13 or over.”
For example, a 13-year-old can create an account by saying they are old enough.
They say they will warn you before big rule changes, unless they call it urgent.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“If we make a material change to the Terms of Service, we’ll provide you with reasonable advance notice, except in urgent situations”
For example, a new fee might be emailed to you before it starts, but a security change might not.
You can email them to stop some sharing with advertising partners.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You can contact data@depop.com to opt out of such sharing.”
For example, you email data@depop.com and ask them to stop sending your data to ad platforms.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- biometric
- Measurements of your body that identify you, like your face, fingerprint or voice. For example, a selfie used to unlock the app or a voice recording matched to you.
- opt out
- Something is on by default and stays on until you find the setting and turn it off. For example, your chats may be used for training unless you go into settings and switch it off.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How we got here · grade D · score 38/100 · 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 more than account and listings: device IDs, IP, usage, social friends lists, and location if you allow it.
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?
They may read in-app messages to fulfil orders, handle disputes, and check for fraud or Terms breaches. Moderators also monitor the service.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They and partners use cookies and share data with platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Google to target ads on and off Depop.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with group companies, service providers and advertising partners. You can email data@depop.com to opt out of ad-partner sharing.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You own your posts, but you give them a worldwide, irrevocable, sublicensable, perpetual licence, including for marketing.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can ask them to erase data, but they keep it while the account is active and for a further period after, and longer if banned. No in-app 30-day wipe is described.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
An algorithm builds recommendations from your activity. They say the only way to stop that behavioural analytics is to close your account.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They say they use strict procedures and security features but cannot guarantee internet transmission is secure. No audit or leak history is described.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The service is for ages 13 and over. They say they do not knowingly collect from under-13s, with no extra age-check described.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The privacy policy is dated 3 September 2023 and they say they will notify material changes. Retention periods stay vague.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They can end an account without cause with at least 45 days’ notice, or faster for suspected breaches. They tell you to back up content; no export tool is described in the terms.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
Business users must indemnify Depop. For businesses, liability is capped at the fee on that sale and warranties are limited.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 7,226 words at a fairly hard level (Flesch reading ease 56); the terms are 40,228 words at a fairly hard level.
