Kicad
- 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 only with the providers who run the service.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
KiCad software is opt-in on telemetry; the forum takes a CC license, can ban you anytime.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Software is optional telemetry; the site may collect IP, browser type, and pages visited.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Our analytics uses cookies to collect information such as your IP address, browser type, and pages visited.”
Training
Optional crash data helps fix bugs; site analytics are for stats; they say they do not sell data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We do not sell your personal information. We have never sold your personal information and we will never sell your personal information.”
Sharing
Crash reports go to Sentry; donations go through Stripe or PayPal; plugins have their own rules.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“If you opt-in to crash reporting, we use Sentry to collect crash data.”
Kept
Donation records can be kept up to 7 years; other deletion timing is not fully spelled out.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We maintain these records for a period of up to 7 years.”
Controls
You can turn telemetry off in preferences and ask them to access or erase personal data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You can change these settings at any time in the software preferences.”
Fine print
Forum can ban you anytime, auto-renews paid upgrades with no refunds.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Analog Life, LLC may terminate your access to all or any part of the Website at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately.”
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.
Leave crash reporting and metrics off, or turn them off later
Software preferences (first run and any time after)
Reset the random crash-report ID
Software preferences
Ask to access or erase personal data
Contact KiCad Services Corporation, 1108 E Burlinghall Dr, Long Beach, CA, USA
Cancel paid forum upgrades before the period ends
Notify Analog Life, LLC before the end of the subscription period
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 shut off your forum account instantly for any reason or none, and they do not have to warn you first.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Analog Life, LLC may terminate your access to all or any part of the Website at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately.”
For example, you could log in one day and find your account gone with no email explaining why.
If someone sues them because of something you posted or did on the forum, you may have to pay their legal bills.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You agree to and Analog Life, LLC, its contractors, and its licensors, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any and all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of your use of the Website”
For example, if a post you made leads to a lawsuit against the forum, they can ask you to cover attorney fees.
Money you pay for optional forum services is kept even if you cancel or they cut you off.
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Terms of service
“These fees are not refundable.”
For example, if you pay for a year of hosting and they close your account, you do not get that money back.
What you post on the forum is licensed so others can copy and share it under that Creative Commons license.
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Terms of service
“User contributions are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.”
For example, someone could republish your forum how-to with credit, as long as they follow the CC-BY-NC-SA rules.
They can change the forum rules by posting them; keeping using the site means you agree, even if they never emailed you.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Your continued use of or access to the Website following the posting of any changes to this Agreement constitutes acceptance of those changes.”
For example, if they add a new fee rule and you keep browsing the forum, they treat that as you agreeing.
If you turn on crash reporting, a dump of memory might accidentally include personal details from your computer.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Please note that crash reports may include memory dumps which could contain unintentional PII.”
For example, a crash dump could include a file path with your username or a snippet of a design you had open.
KiCad does not send bug, update, or performance data unless you choose that.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“All data collection regarding bug reports, software updates, and performance metrics is strictly optional.”
For example, on first launch you can leave those boxes unchecked and the app still works.
They say they do not and will not sell your personal information.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We do not sell your personal information. We have never sold your personal information and we will never sell your personal information.”
For example, they say they will not sell a list of donors or site visitors to marketers.
Donation payment source and amount can be stored for as long as seven years for tax and accounting.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We maintain these records for a period of up to 7 years.”
For example, if you donate once, they may still have that payment record years later.
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.
- 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.
- opt in
- Something is off until you actively say yes to it. For example, marketing emails that only start after you tick a box are opt in.
- 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.
- 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.
How we got here · grade D · score 37/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 3 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
The software does not try to collect personal info, but optional crash reports and website analytics can include IP, browser type, pages visited, and possible memory-dump PII.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
The documents do not describe collecting voice, face, or body data.
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?
The site uses cookies and analytics including IP address; the forum may show advertisements unless you pay for an ad-free upgrade.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they never sell personal information. They share crash data with Sentry and donations with Stripe or PayPal.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
Forum posts are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0, so they are shareable by default under that license.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
Donation records can be kept up to 7 years. You can request erasure, but tax rules may block full deletion.
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 sending crash reports through a reflector that hides your IP before Sentry sees them.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The forum is only for people at least 13 years old. There is no described age check beyond that statement.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The privacy policy is dated, but the forum terms say continued use after they post changes means you accept them, with no promised notice.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They can end access anytime without notice, and they say they do not have to refund money already paid.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The forum is “as is,” liability is capped at fees paid in the last 12 months, and you must indemnify them for claims from your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Optional paid forum services auto-renew unless you cancel before the period ends, and fees are not refundable.
The privacy policy is 518 words at a college level (Flesch reading ease 49.6); the terms are 2,558 words at a college graduate level.
