Etsy
- 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.
Etsy takes a license to your listings, shares data for ads you can opt out of.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, purchases, device and browsing data, photos you post, and sometimes location.
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Privacy policy
“Identifiers: information that identifies you, including your legal name, email address, unique personal identifiers (such as a device identifier and/or IP address)”
Training
They use it to run the shop, personalize Etsy, and show targeted ads on and off the site.
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Privacy policy
“Specifically, we use your Personal Information for our business and commercial purposes including: providing the Services, processing orders and transactions, internal business analytics, tailoring and personalizing the Services to you”
Sharing
Service providers, other buyers and sellers, and ad partners can get some of your data.
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Privacy policy
“We may share your Personal Information by allowing certain third parties (such as online advertising services) to collect Personal Information through automated technologies on our Sites and Apps”
Kept
You can delete personal info in account settings; they do not say how long they keep it after that.
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Privacy policy
“If you would like to correct, access, or delete your Personal Information, you can do so through your Etsy account settings.”
Controls
You can turn off personalized ads and opt out of “sale” or sharing in Privacy Settings.
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Privacy policy
“You can opt out of the sale or sharing of Personal Information for interest-based ads, and related tracking, by clicking the “ Privacy Settings” link”
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 personalized advertising / sale or sharing
Privacy Settings link or, for California, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Info in the homepage footer, or account privacy settings; GPC also accepted
Request access, correction, or deletion
Etsy account settings, Help Center contact form, chat support, or Privacy Policy Section 12 Contact Us
Americas)
.com within 30 days of first accepting the Terms
Close your account if you reject new terms
Account settings (Help article referenced in Termination By You)
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
You still own your photos and listings, but Etsy can use, edit, and let others use them forever, even after you leave.
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Terms of service
“By posting Your Content, you grant Etsy and, as authorized by Etsy in its sole discretion, third parties, a non-exclusive, worldwide, , , , license”
For example, a listing photo could still appear in Etsy ads or on a partner site after you close your shop.
If someone sues Etsy because of something you did on the site, you may have to pay Etsy’s legal bills.
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Terms of service
“you agree to defend and us. That means, without limitation, you’ll defend, reimburse, compensate, and hold Etsy”
For example, if a listing you posted leads to a lawsuit against Etsy, you could be asked to cover their lawyers.
Ad companies can get data about you so they can show interest-based ads on and off Etsy.
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Privacy policy
“To enable personalized advertising (like interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies.”
For example, looking at jewelry on Etsy could lead to jewelry ads on other websites.
They say they do not sell data for cash, but ad sharing can still count as a sale you can turn off.
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Privacy policy
“This kind of sharing may be considered a “sale” under California law, and you have a right to opt out of it.”
For example, a California user can use Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Info in the site footer.
Closing or being kicked off can wipe your shop content from your account.
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Terms of service
“If you or Etsy terminate your account, you may lose any information associated with your account, including Your Content.”
For example, if Etsy suspends a seller, listing photos and messages tied to the account may be gone.
If Etsy is at fault, they usually cap what they will pay at a small amount like $100 or recent fees.
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Terms of service
“IN NO EVENT SHALL ETSY’S FOR ANY DAMAGES EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) $100, (B) ANY AMOUNTS DUE UNDER THE ETSY PURCHASE PROTECTION PROGRAM”
For example, a site outage that costs a seller far more than $100 might still be limited to that cap.
The stated age is 18, or 13–17 only on a parent’s account; they rely on you to follow that.
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Terms of service
“You must be 18 years or older to use our Services. Minors under 18 and at least 13 years of age are only permitted to use our Services through an account owned by a parent or legal guardian”
For example, a 15-year-old is only supposed to shop if a parent owns the account and is supervising.
The app can take a rough location, and a precise one if you turn that on.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Geolocation Data: your general location provided through location-enabled services such as WiFi and GPS or precise location information, with your consent, when enabled through one of our mobile applications”
For example, enabling location on the Etsy app could share GPS-level location with Etsy.
They say they will warn you about big rule changes, but keeping using the site means you accept them.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“If the changes are material, we’ll let you know in advance by posting the changes through the Services and/or sending you an email or message about the changes. Your use of the Services after the effective date of the changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.”
For example, after an email about new terms, shopping again would count as agreeing.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- targeted advertising
- Ads chosen for you based on what you have done across other apps and websites, not just this one. For example, you look at shoes in one app and see shoe ads in a totally different app the next day.
- 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.
- 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.
- perpetual
- Lasting forever, with no end date. For example, a perpetual licence means the company can keep using your video years after you leave.
- 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.
- 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.
How we got here · grade F · score 27/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 6 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect more than account and listings: device IDs, browsing, purchases, inferences, photos, and location, including precise location with consent.
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?
They share data with marketing and advertising partners for interest-based ads on and off Etsy.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they do not sell data for money, but ad sharing may count as a sale or share, and you can opt out.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You own your content, but you grant Etsy a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable license to use it.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
Not stated in the documents.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They build marketing inferences and profiles from your activity; they do not describe viewing or turning that memory off.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
Not stated in the documents.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
You must be 18, or 13–17 only on a parent’s account; they do not describe age checks beyond that rule.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The policies are dated. Material term changes get advance notice, but continued use counts as acceptance, and retention periods are not spelled out.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They generally notify before closing an account, but you may lose your content and they do not describe an export step.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
Services are as-is with a low damage cap, and you must cover Etsy if your use gets them sued.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 3,231 words at a college graduate level (Flesch reading ease 30.9); the terms are 6,242 words at a fairly hard level.
