Geocaching
- 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.
- Staff may review your content; the policy does not describe an opt-out.
They collect location, logs, and ads data; you keep content but grant a broad license; ads sharing has an opt-out.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, finds and photos, device IDs, browsing history, contacts, and precise location if you allow it.
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Privacy policy
“With your permission, our mobile apps can access your real-time location while you’re using them or, for Lilypad Chat, in the background.”
Training
They run the game, market to you, and let ad networks use your browsing to show ads they think you’ll like.
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Privacy policy
“Using browser cookies, these ad networks use your navigation history to serve you ads they predict will interest you.”
Sharing
Other players, volunteer reviewers, Authorized Developers, Shopify, Google, and advertising partners can see some of your data.
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Privacy policy
“We may disclose personal information to advertising networks, marketing partners, analytics providers, and similar third parties”
Kept
They keep data as long as needed; deleting an account can take 30 days, and logs may stay as game history.
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Privacy policy
“Due to how our systems are structured, it may take up to 30 days for records to be deleted or overwritten.”
Controls
You can change Settings, unsubscribe from marketing, and use Do Not Sell or their web form to .
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Privacy policy
“By signing into your account and accessing your account Settings, you can change various privacy settings and update certain personal information”
Fine print
You grant a broad license to your posts; they disclaim ; you may have to cover their legal costs.
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Terms of service
“you grant Groundspeak a worldwide, non-exclusive, , for the legal duration of intellectual property protection, , fully transferable, and right”
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/sharing and targeted ads
Do Not Sell My Info page on Geocaching.com or mobile app settings; or send GPC
Tighten location and profile sharing
Account Settings (Home Location, public profile, Lilypad Private Locations, Authorizations)
Unsubscribe from marketing
Unsubscribe link in emails or email preferences in account Settings
Delete logs or request account deletion
Account Settings to delete logs/profile; web form or Help Center to request full deletion
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, changing, and sharing what you post even after you leave, including for ads.
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Terms of service
“you grant Groundspeak a worldwide, non-exclusive, , for the legal duration of intellectual property protection, , fully transferable, and right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such content”
For example, a photo from your cache log could show up in their marketing years later.
Outside companies track how you browse so they can show targeted ads.
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Privacy policy
“We have ads on our site served by a third-party advertising network. Using browser cookies, these ad networks use your navigation history to serve you ads they predict will interest you.”
For example, looking at Premium membership pages could lead to ads for related products on other sites.
Under some privacy laws they treat ad tracking and developer sharing as a sale, though you can opt out.
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Privacy policy
“our use of tracking and attribution technologies and collaboration with our Authorized Developers may be considered sharing or a sale under the .”
For example, your device ID may go to ad partners unless you use Do Not Sell My Info.
If your use of the site causes a legal fight, you may have to pay their costs.
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Terms of service
“You agree to and hold Groundspeak, our officers, directors, employees, agents and community members who serve as Community Volunteer Reviewers, translators, and forum moderators/administrators harmless against all losses, claims, damages, and expenses”
For example, if a log you posted leads to a lawsuit, they can ask you to cover lawyers’ fees.
The apps can follow where you are, including in the background for chat.
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Privacy policy
“With your permission, our mobile apps can access your real-time location while you’re using them or, for Lilypad Chat, in the background.”
For example, Lilypad Chat could keep using GPS after you close the app if you allowed it.
Stopping play does not automatically erase your logs and photos from the game history.
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Privacy policy
“your geocache and trackable logs, along with associated images, will remain as part of the historic record unless you delete them.”
For example, a find log you wrote years ago can stay public until you delete it.
They do not promise the app will work or that listings are safe or accurate.
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Terms of service
“OUR SERVICES ARE PROVIDED AS-IS AND AS-AVAILABLE, AND YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO YOUR USE OF OUR SERVICES AND THE CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR SERVICES.”
For example, if a cache listing leads you somewhere unsafe, they say that risk is yours.
Volunteer reviewers and staff can read unpublished caches and forum posts.
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Privacy policy
“To enable geocaching community volunteers and us to review geocaches prior to publication and to moderate our discussion forums.”
For example, a volunteer can read your draft cache page before it goes live.
They say the service is not for kids under 16, but parents must manage those accounts; there is no strong age check described.
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Privacy policy
“Because of the nature of our services, which require a mobile data plan or GPS device and the ability to travel, our services are not intended for anyone under the age of 16.”
For example, a 15-year-old could still sign up if a parent owns the account.
They claim they do not sell data except for the sharing they list, including ads and developers.
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Privacy policy
“Except as outlined below or otherwise described in this privacy policy, we do not share or sell personal information of our users.”
For example, they still send device IDs to ad partners as described later in the same policy.
They can shut your account if they think you broke the rules, after giving notice.
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Terms of service
“We may suspend or terminate your account upon notice if you violate the terms of this Agreement.”
For example, they could close your account for spoiling a cache after they notify you.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- CCPA
- California's privacy law, which gives residents the right to see, delete and stop the sale of their data. For example, a Californian can ask the app to stop selling their data and it must comply.
- 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.
- human review
- Company staff or contractors may read your messages or content, usually to check for rule breaking. For example, a flagged private chat with an AI can be read by a person at the company.
- as is
- You get the service in whatever state it is in, with no promise that it works or will keep working. For example, if the app deletes your photos by mistake, it is not promising to fix that or pay you back.
- 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.
- 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 · 2 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect more than account and logs: precise location, contacts, browsing and search history, photos, and many device IDs.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
They list audio and visual records of phone or video calls with them, not as a live-only 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?
Volunteer reviewers and staff read unpublished caches and moderate forums; they also read data when investigating rule breaks.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
Third-party ad networks, Meta Pixel, Google Marketing Platform, and AppsFlyer track you for ads and measurement.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they do not sell in the usual sense, but CCPA sharing with ads and developers counts as a sale you can opt out of.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership, but you grant an irrevocable, transferable, sublicensable license to reuse your content, including for promotion.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can delete profile items and logs in Settings or request deletion; they say records may take up to 30 days to go.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They infer preferences from how you use the site; they do not describe an AI memory you can turn off.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe passwords, TLS for payments, and general measures against loss or misuse. No audit or leak history is stated.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
They say the service is not for under 16 and parents must manage those accounts; they may collect age, but no strong age check is described.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The copies have no last-updated date. They may email about changes; continued use of the terms means you accept them.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may suspend or terminate for violations upon notice. After three years of inactivity they may delete without further notice. No export tool is described.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
Services are as-is with a low liability cap, and you must indemnify them for breaches, fraud, or illegal use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 10,921 words at a college level (Flesch reading ease 41.9); the terms are 4,707 words at a college level.
