Keybase
- The policy says your content is not used for AI training.
- The policy rules out using your data for targeted ads.
- Data is shared only with the providers who run the service.
- The policy describes staff access for safety and legal checks.
Encrypted chats stay private, but public account proofs go on a blockchain forever.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, teams, hashed password, activity, files, IP (briefly), and device/usage data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We collect the information you provide to us, such as your name, avatar picture, email address, and social media handles.”
Training
They use it to run the app, fight abuse, improve the product, and email you about Keybase.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“To provide the Services to you on all the devices you add.”
Sharing
They say they won’t sell data; AWS and image tools help; encrypted chats stay between you and the other person.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Keybase won’t sell or rent your data or content for any reason.”
Kept
Chats stay until you delete them; public proofs on the blockchain cannot be deleted, only revoked.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“it is not possible to delete data from your sigchain, or to change the hashes/summaries in the Merkle tree and the Bitcoin blockchain.”
Controls
You can delete your account and files in the Keybase app and download your files.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Delete your account and all your associated data. You can do this through your Keybase client.”
Fine print
No , $50 cap.
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.
Delete your account and associated data
Through your Keybase client
Download your files before leaving
Through the Keybase client; other requests to privacy@keybase.io
Write down and store your paper key
Keep a hard copy somewhere safe, as described in the Terms
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
Once you post public account facts, they stay on a public chain forever. You can only mark them revoked, not erase them.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“it is not possible to delete data from your sigchain, or to change the hashes/summaries in the Merkle tree and the Bitcoin blockchain.”
For example, if you change your Twitter handle, people can still see the old one on your Keybase history.
If they mess up, they say they will not pay you more than fifty dollars.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“THE OF KEYBASE AND ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS OR LICENSORS, RELATING TO THE SERVICES WILL BE LIMITED TO FIFTY DOLLARS ($50.00).”
For example, if lost files cost you thousands, their terms still cap them at $50.
They can cut off your access whenever they want.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Keybase may also stop providing Services to you, or add or create new limits to our Services at any time.”
For example, they could shut your account during an investigation without a promised warning.
They cannot recover your encrypted stuff. If you lose devices and your paper key, everything is gone.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“If all of your devices provisioned with Keybase are lost or damaged and you do not have a hard copy of your paper key, your Keybase account and all of your content associated with the Services will be lost forever.”
For example, if your phone and laptop die and you never wrote down the paper key, your chats and files cannot be restored.
You still own your stuff, but you let them use it to run, advertise, and improve Keybase.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“you give us rights to your content to the extent necessary to operate, promote, and improve our Services, and to develop new ones.”
For example, they could use unencrypted public-folder files to promote the product.
Keybase says it cannot read private chats and files.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“The content of your chat messages and private files is end-to-end encrypted. Only you and those you communicate with will have the ability to see them.”
For example, a private message to a friend is not readable by Keybase staff.
They promise not to fund the app with ads or sell your information.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We’ll never run an ad-supported business. And Keybase will never sell your data.”
For example, they say they will not sell your email list to marketers.
Deleted files linger encrypted for about two weeks before they are removed.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“If you delete documents from KBFS, they remain encrypted on our servers for two weeks and are then deleted.”
For example, a file you delete today may still sit on their servers for fourteen days.
You must be at least 13. They do not describe extra age checks.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Our Services are not directed to children, and you may not use our Services if you are under the age of 13.”
For example, a 12-year-old is not allowed, but they rely on you to say your age.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 A+ · score 64/100 · 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 account details, files you store, team membership, hashed password, activity, a temporary IP, and device or usage data.
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?
They do not describe using chats to train AI models, and they say they cannot access encrypted content.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Private chats are encrypted so they cannot read them. They may review unencrypted content for illegal or policy-breaking material.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They say they will never run ads and do not track you across other sites for ads.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they will not sell or rent data. They use providers like Amazon and Kraken.io, and may share for law or a business sale.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership. You give them only the rights needed to run, promote, and improve the service.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can delete an account in the app, but public signature-chain data cannot be deleted and stays on the blockchain.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
Not stated in the documents.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe TLS, client-side encryption, 2FA for staff, AWS hosting, and no third-party website JavaScript.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
You may not use Keybase if you are under 13, and you must be old enough to consent in your country. No extra age check is described.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Policies are dated. Privacy cuts that hurt you get email or in-app notice; continued use still means you accept. Terms changes post at least 14 days ahead except legal or new features.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may stop providing the service to you at any time. If they shut down a whole service they try to give notice and a chance to export.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is with no warranties, and their total liability is capped at $50. Business users also must indemnify them.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
They say Keybase is free for now and they may later offer paid team features. No billing or refund rules are set.
The privacy policy is 2,049 words at a fairly hard level (Flesch reading ease 51.8); the terms are 3,130 words at a fairly hard level.
