- 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.
Flipboard collects location and device IDs for targeted ads it treats as a sale.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, device IDs, cookies, IP, inferences, and sometimes precise GPS location.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Wemay collect information that identifies your device’s precise location (for example, GPS latitude and longitude level).”
Training
They personalize content and run targeted ads, which they treat as a sale or sharing of your data.
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Privacy policy
“For targeted advertising on Flipboard, which can be considered a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information to third-party advertising partners under certain U.S. state privacy laws.”
Sharing
Vendors, ad partners, and possibly other Fediverse apps if your profile is public.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Specifically, we may share Account Information, Inferences, and Device, Internet and Network Activity Information with our advertising partners.”
Kept
They keep it while your account is active and for some time after; no clear delete-by date.
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Privacy policy
“We retain your information while you maintain an active account with us and for a period of time thereafter to allow us to comply with our legal obligations.”
Controls
You can opt out of sale/sharing in Settings or by email, and ask them to delete your data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You can also request that we not sell or share your personal information by clicking Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information on the website and in the app in the Privacy section of the Settings.”
Fine print
No , $100 cap, and they can cut access without notice.
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.
Opt out of sale or sharing of personal information
Website/app: Privacy section of Settings, “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information,” or https://flipboard.com/donotsellmyinfo
Email to delete your personal information
privacy@flipboard.com
Turn off location sharing in the app and device settings
Mobile app location services and iOS/Android location permissions, as described in the privacy policy
Opt out of marketing emails
Unsubscribe link in promotional messages
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 collect exact GPS coordinates, not just a city or zip code.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Wemay collect information that identifies your device’s precise location (for example, GPS latitude and longitude level).”
For example, the app could know the street you are standing on and use that for ads.
Your device data and interest guesses can go to ad companies, and the law may treat that as a sale.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“For targeted advertising on Flipboard, which can be considered a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information to third-party advertising partners under certain U.S. state privacy laws.”
For example, an ad network could use your reading habits to show you ads on other sites.
If they cause you harm, they say they will not pay more than one hundred dollars.
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Terms of service
“The maximum of Flipboard to you for our services is $100.”
For example, even if a bug deleted years of magazines you saved, they cap payout at $100.
They can shut off your access without warning.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“we may change, eliminate or restrict access to our products or any part of our service at any time, for any reason, with or without advance notice.”
For example, they could lock your account overnight and you would have no chance to export magazines first.
Public posts can be copied onto other social networks they do not control.
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Privacy policy
“we may make all public information associated with your account (e.g., your Flipboard profile, comments you post, and content you flip) available not only on Flipboard, but also across the Fediverse”
For example, a comment you thought was only on Flipboard could show up on another Fediverse site forever.
You still own your posts, but they get a broad right to store, show, and share them to run Flipboard.
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Terms of service
“By posting it, you give us permission to use your content to do what we reasonably believe necessary to improve and provide our service both now and in the future.”
For example, they could keep showing a magazine you made even after you stop using the app, if they say it helps the service.
To delete your data you email them; they do not promise it is gone in a set number of days.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You may exercise these rights, including deletion of your personal information, by emailing privacy@flipboard.com.”
For example, you email privacy@flipboard.com and wait for them to confirm they deleted your account data.
They say they will not sell your name and email as a contact list, even though they share other data for ads.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Note: We do not sell your contact information to anyone.”
For example, a marketer should not buy a list of Flipboard emails from them.
The privacy policy says under-18s should not use it, but the terms say 16, and there is no real ID check.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Flipboard’s websites and applications are not intended for children under the age of 18.”
For example, a 16-year-old could still sign up by typing an older age.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- precise geolocation
- Your exact position, usually from GPS, often accurate to within a few metres. For example, an app can tell not just your city but which building you are in right now.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- profiling
- Building a picture of who you are, what you like and what you might do next from your data. For example, an app may guess your income, health or politics from what you watch and tap.
- 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.
- limitation of liability
- A cap on what the company will ever pay you if something goes wrong, often only what you paid in the last year. For example, if a leak of your data costs you thousands, the most you may get back is a month's subscription fee.
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 details plus device IDs, cookies, IP, advertising IDs, inferences, and precise GPS location, which goes beyond running a magazine reader.
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 use device data and inferences for targeted ads and share with third-party advertising partners.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share account, device, location, and inference data with ad partners and call that a sale or sharing, with an opt-out. They say they do not sell contact info.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You own what you post. They take permission to use it as they think needed to provide and improve Flipboard now and in the future, including with partners.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You request deletion by emailing privacy@flipboard.com. They keep data while the account is active and for a period after; no 30- or 90-day in-app promise.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They make inferences about your interests, age, and gender to customize content and ads, with no described memory on/off switch.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They say they use industry-standard security and invite vulnerability reports to security@flipboard.com, but they do not promise the service is fully safe.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
Privacy says not for under 18; terms say 16 and older. There is no described age-check beyond that statement.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Both documents are dated. For big changes they post a notice on the site, and continued use means you accept. Retention periods stay vague.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may restrict or end access at any time, for any reason, with or without notice. No export-before-close promise.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is “as is” with no warranties, and their maximum liability is $100.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
The documents describe Flipboard as free and do not set out subscriptions, auto-renewal, or refunds.
The privacy policy is 4,853 words at a college level (Flesch reading ease 45.2); the terms are 1,798 words at a college level.
