Howtogeek
- 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.
A news site that tracks browsing for ads, may sell data with an opt-out, and takes a forever license on comments.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account details, IP and device IDs, browsing history, location, and ad inferences.
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Privacy policy
“We may collect your full name, IP address, device ID, and other similar identifiers to effectuate your orders, identify you as a user within the Services”
Training
They personalize the site, send marketing, and use cookies for targeted ads.
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Privacy policy
“Advertising and Targeted Advertising Cookies: These cookies track your browsing habits and location to provide you with advertising in line with your interests.”
Sharing
Service providers, affiliates, analytics firms, and a long list of ad partners may get data.
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Privacy policy
“We share this information with third-party service providers, analytics, advertising and marketing partners, our affiliates, and otherwise as might be required for legal or regulatory purposes.”
Kept
They keep it as long as they say they need it, including after you close an account.
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Privacy policy
“This means we may retain your personal information even after you close your account with us in order to (i) to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations”
Controls
You can refuse cookies, use Do Not Sell, unsubscribe, or email data@valnetinc.com.
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Privacy policy
“If you do not want us to share your personal information with unaffiliated third parties for promotional purposes, you may opt out by clicking the “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link located at the bottom of the Website you are accessing.”
Fine print
They can close accounts anytime; $100 cap.
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Terms of service
“THE OPTION TO OPT-OUT IS TIME-LIMITED TO THIRTY (30) DAYS AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.”
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.
Click Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Link at the bottom of the website you are using
Ask to access or erase your data
Email data@valnetinc.com, call 1-833-979-3525, or use the request form linked in the privacy policy
Cancel a paid plan before renewal
Account settings after you log in
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
Ad cookies follow what you read and roughly where you are so ads can be matched to you.
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Privacy policy
“These cookies track your browsing habits and location to provide you with advertising in line with your interests.”
For example, reading laptop reviews can lead to laptop ads on this site and elsewhere.
They admit they may sell identifiers and similar data under California’s definition of a sale.
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Privacy policy
“In the preceding 12 months, we may have “sold” the following categories of your personal information, depending on how the is interpreted: identifiers”
For example, an ad partner could get an ID tied to your browsing in exchange for ad money.
Anything you post in comments or similar can be used forever, including by others they license.
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Terms of service
“grant us and our affiliates, representatives, partners, and assigns an , , non-exclusive, , and fully-paid license”
For example, a comment you later delete can still be reused in ads or on other sites.
They can shut your account with no warning and without needing a listed reason.
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Terms of service
“We have the right to disable your account, access to Sites, as well as any username, password or other identifier, whether chosen by you or provided by us, at any time in our sole discretion for any or no reason”
For example, you could lose a paid login overnight and have no promised export first.
If someone sues them over how you used the site, you may have to cover their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“you agree to , defend and hold Valnet, its affiliates, and their respective subsidiaries, directors, officers, employees, agents, and applicable third parties”
For example, a comment that sparks a lawsuit could leave you paying their lawyers.
Subscriptions keep charging until you cancel, and unused time is usually not refunded.
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Terms of service
“Unless expressly prohibited by applicable local law, payments are non-refundable, and there are no refunds or credits for partially used subscription periods.”
For example, cancelling mid-year still leaves the rest of that year unpaid back to you.
They record how you move around the site, not just what you type into a form.
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Privacy policy
“Internet or other similar network activity. Browsing history, search history, information on a consumer's interaction with a website, application, or advertisement.”
For example, which articles you open can be logged and used for ads and analytics.
They build a picture of your interests from how you browse.
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Privacy policy
“We may generate inferences based on your interactions with our Services. These inferences may reflect preferences, interests, or trends in how you use and engage with our content.”
For example, they may tag you as a “gaming reader” from the articles you click.
Deleting your data is done by contacting them, not with a simple in-app wipe for everyone.
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Privacy policy
“You can also submit a request to access or erase your data, or any other request to exercise your rights under applicable privacy legislation by contacting us at data@valnetinc.com.”
For example, you email that address and wait up to 45 days for a reply.
They set a 16+ rule but rely on people not using the site if they are younger.
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Privacy policy
“Our Services are not intended for individuals under the age of 16, and we do not intentionally collect personal information from individuals who we have reason to believe are under the age of 16.”
For example, a 15-year-old can still visit unless someone reports them.
They describe some security steps, including using Amazon cloud servers with a privacy standard.
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Privacy policy
“We use AWS servers, which comply with ISO 27018:2019, a code of practice that focuses on protection of personal information in the cloud.”
For example, they say only staff who need your data should be able to see it.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How we got here · grade F · score 32/100 · 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 basics: IP, device IDs, browsing and search history, geolocation, and inferences for ads and personalization.
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?
Third-party ad companies use cookies and similar tools to track visits here and on other sites for interest-based ads.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with ad and marketing partners and say they may have “sold” identifiers and similar data, with a Do Not Sell opt-out.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
Comments and other user posts get an irrevocable, perpetual, sublicensable license they can use for any purpose, including ads.
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 they say they need it, including after account closure. You request deletion by email or a form.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They generate inferences about preferences and interests from how you use the site, with no described memory on/off switch.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe physical, organizational, and technical measures and say they use AWS servers that follow ISO 27018.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The site is not meant for under 16 (terms also mention 18 or a parent). There is no described age-check beyond that rule.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The privacy policy is dated. They say they notify you by changing the date, and continued use counts as acceptance. Terms say material changes take effect after 30 days.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They can disable your account at any time for any or no reason, in their sole discretion.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The site is “as is,” their payout is capped at $100, and you must cover their legal costs if a third party sues over your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Paid plans auto-renew until you cancel in account settings. Payments are generally non-refundable. They say they will give at least one month’s notice before price changes.
The privacy policy is 6,644 words at a college graduate level (Flesch reading ease 32.7); the terms are 10,329 words at a college graduate level.
