Instacart
- The policy allows AI training; it does not describe an opt-out.
- 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.
They take a broad license to train on your content, can close you anytime, auto-renew Instacart+.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
- Uses your content for AI training with no opt-out
Collected
The B2B policy lists contact info, payments, chats, browsing, location, and inferences; shopper collection is not fully described here.
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Privacy policy
“Internet or other electronic network activity information: including browsing history, search history, and information regarding individuals’ interactions with the Sites, emails, chatbots and/or advertisements.”
Training
They use your uploads and AI prompts to run the service and to develop and improve machine-learning models.
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Terms of service
“This includes using such content to maintain functionality, prevent fraud, enhance search and recommendations, and develop, improve, and evaluate machine-learning models or related technologies that support the Services.”
Sharing
The B2B policy says they may sell or share data with marketing partners; you can opt out via cookies or GPC.
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Privacy policy
“These disclosures may constitute a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information under applicable U.S. state privacy laws when made for monetary or other valuable consideration or for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes.”
Kept
They keep personal information as long as they say they need it; deletion is by email request, not a set deadline.
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Privacy policy
“We keep personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we have collected it, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.”
Controls
You can unsubscribe from marketing, by email, and opt out of sale/sharing via Cookie Preferences or GPC.
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Privacy policy
“you may opt out by clicking the “Reject all” link in the Cookie Banner or by adjusting your privacy settings by clicking on the Cookie Preferences link in the footer of the website.”
Fine print
They can close you without notice, Instacart+ auto-renews, and you them.
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.
Cancel Instacart+ before renewal
Your Instacart+ Membership page, Cancel Membership link
Opt out of sale or sharing
Cookie Banner Reject all, Cookie Preferences in the website footer, or enable GPC
or access
Email privacyrequests@instacart.com with subject Data Request
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 copy, change, and what you upload, including prompts and voice, to run and improve the product.
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Terms of service
“You grant Instacart a non-exclusive, worldwide, , transferable, license to host, store, reproduce, display, modify, distribute, and otherwise use any content you provide”
For example, a recipe list or AI prompt you type could be used to improve their models even after you stop using the app.
Your content can be used to train and test AI. The Terms do not describe a way to turn that off.
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Terms of service
“develop, improve, and evaluate machine-learning models or related technologies that support the Services.”
For example, a chat with an Instacart AI helper could be used to train future models.
You do not own what the AI writes back. You only get a personal-use right.
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Terms of service
“Instacart owns all AI-generated content ("Outputs"). You may use Outputs generated for you for your personal, non-commercial use under these Terms.”
For example, a meal plan the AI writes is theirs; you cannot treat it as your commercial product.
They can shut your account with no warning and no stated reason.
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Terms of service
“We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services, or stop offering all or part of the Services, at any time and without notice, for any reason or no reason.”
For example, you could lose access to credits or a pending order without a heads-up.
If your use causes a legal fight, you may have to pay their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“You agree to , and Instacart and Retailers (and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, and shareholders)”
For example, if an AI agent you connected places a bad order, they can ask you to cover related claims.
Paid membership keeps charging unless you cancel first. Monthly fees are not refundable.
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Terms of service
“UNLESS YOU CANCEL, YOUR INSTACART+ MEMBERSHIP WILL AUTOMATICALLY RENEW FOR THE MONTHLY OR ANNUAL TERM YOU SELECTED”
For example, if you forget to cancel, next month’s Instacart+ fee is charged automatically.
Voice commands used as a signature can be stored and used to improve the service.
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Terms of service
“We may retain records of voice interactions to document and verify such actions, and to operate and improve the Services.”
For example, saying yes to a substitution could be kept as a recording, not just used once.
They and partners can use your data for targeted ads.
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Privacy policy
“We (and our partners) may use your personal information to send you marketing and promotional materials and communications, and to analyze and measure their effectiveness, and deliver targeted or cross-context behavioral advertising.”
For example, browsing a retailer site could feed ads about similar products later.
A Global Privacy Control browser setting can opt you out of sale/sharing where the law requires it.
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Privacy policy
“We listen for and honor GPC signals as required under applicable laws.”
For example, turning on GPC in your browser can count as an opt-out of sale or sharing.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- inputs and outputs
- Inputs are what you type, say or upload to an AI; outputs are what it gives back to you. For example, the question you ask a chatbot is an input and its answer is an output, and both may be stored.
- 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.
- auto-renewal
- Your subscription keeps charging you at the end of each period until you cancel it. For example, a free trial turns into a paid monthly plan unless you cancel before it ends.
How we got here · grade F · score 30/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 1 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
The B2B policy lists contact and account data plus browsing history, device IDs, location, inferences, and sensitive IDs. That is broader than what a core login needs.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
The Terms say spoken commands can count as a signature and that they may keep voice records to verify actions and improve the Services.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
The Terms say content you provide, including prompts, may be used to develop and improve machine-learning models. They do not describe an opt-out.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Not stated in the documents.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
The B2B policy says they and partners use data for targeted and cross-context behavioral advertising and disclose data to marketing partners.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they may sell or share personal information under U.S. state laws, with opt-out via cookies, Cookie Preferences, or GPC.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep rights in uploads, but you grant a worldwide, transferable, sublicensable license. Instacart owns AI outputs.
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 needed for stated purposes. Deletion is by emailing privacyrequests@instacart.com, not a set in-app clock.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
The B2B policy says they draw inferences to create a profile of preferences and behavior. It does not describe viewing or turning that off.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They say they use reasonable administrative, physical, and technical measures, but they do not guarantee internet security.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The Sites are not for children under 18 and they do not knowingly collect from them. Terms require you to be of legal age to contract. No age-assurance method is described.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Both documents are dated. Material privacy changes may get extra notice; Terms say they will notify for material changes. Retention and some purposes stay general.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may suspend or terminate access at any time without notice, for any reason or no reason. No export-before-close process is described.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
Services are as-is with a low liability cap, and you must indemnify Instacart and retailers for many claims tied to your use, including AI outputs.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Instacart+ auto-renews. Monthly fees are not refundable. Annual refunds exist only in a short unused window unless law requires more.
The privacy policy is 3,649 words at a professional or legal expert level (Flesch reading ease 15.6); the terms are 12,494 words at a college graduate level.
