lichess.org
- The documents do not say whether your data trains AI.
- 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.
Free chess site with no ads; they keep account and game data for years, can ban you without warning, and you them.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account details, messages, IP and device info, optional profile fields, and how you use the site.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“When you connect to the lichess.org site, a certain amount of data is automatically collected by the site host concerning your terminal (such as a computer, smartphone or tablet) and your browser. This particularly includes your IP address.”
Training
They use it to run accounts, stop fraud, give support, improve the site, and keep game stats.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We use data relating to the use of our teaching and chess services to evolve these services in such a way that they are always more effective for our users.”
Sharing
Staff, moderators, EU hosts, payment firms, lawyers, and chess databases that take public games.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“LICHESS teams, moderators and employees are likely to access it within the framework and the limits of their functions.”
Kept
Often one year, then about five more years for legal claims; game stats can last longer.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We will thus keep all relevant data from a probationary point of view for the legally applicable limitation period, i.e. in principle 5 years (civil limitation under common law).”
Controls
You can view data in your account and email @lichess.org to correct, object, or delete.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You can access your personal data via this link, by being logged in: https://lichess.org/account/personal-data.”
Fine print
They can ban you without warning, you must them.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“you agree that we have the right to partially or fully suspend or terminate your access to our website and services (such as banning or closing your account), for any reason without warning”
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.
Download your personal data
https://lichess.org/account/personal-data while logged in
Ask to correct, object, or erase data
Email @lichess.org stating the right you want to use
Deactivate your account to end the agreement
Deactivate the account as described in Ending these Terms; see the privacy policy for what happens to data
Ask about a mistaken donation refund within 14 days
Contact them; refunds are at their discretion
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 your account at any time and do not have to explain why first.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“you agree that we have the right to partially or fully suspend or terminate your access to our website and services (such as banning or closing your account), for any reason without warning”
For example, you could lose your rating history overnight with no email warning.
If someone sues them because of how you used the site, you may have to pay their legal bills.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You agree to and Lichess, our contractors, contributors, licensors, and partners; and the respective directors, officers, employees and agents of the aforementioned”
For example, if a post you made leads to a lawsuit, they can ask you to cover lawyer fees.
They can copy, change, and share what you post, including giving others that right, without paying you.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, license (with the right to that content), with or without attribution”
For example, they could reuse your blog post or PGN notes in a promo without asking.
Even after you leave, they may keep records for about five years in case of a legal fight.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We will thus keep all relevant data from a probationary point of view for the legally applicable limitation period, i.e. in principle 5 years (civil limitation under common law).”
For example, old support emails could still exist years after you delete your account.
If they change the rules, keeping using the site counts as saying yes.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Your continued use of our website or services after the effective date of any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the changes.”
For example, a new ban rule could apply just because you played another game after they posted it.
They do not promise the site will work or be accurate, and they limit what they will pay if it fails.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Our website and services are provided "as is'' with all faults.”
For example, if a tournament glitch costs you a prize, they say they are not .
On their own site and apps they promise no ads and almost no tracking cookies.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“On the domains that we own and have control over, as well as our official mobile apps (current and future) we guarantee neither currently have, or will host advertising or trackers or cookies beyond one which ensures you do not need to log in after every refresh”
For example, playing a game on lichess.org should not show banner ads or ad trackers.
You can download a copy of much of your personal data while logged in.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You can access your personal data via this link, by being logged in: https://lichess.org/account/personal-data.”
For example, you can open that page and see what they have on your account.
You should be 15 or older to register, or a parent or teacher must set up a kid account.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Because users must also agree to our privacy policy, you must be at least 15 and be the legal age in your to enter into a digital contract”
For example, a 12-year-old should only play with a parent-made kid account and kid mode.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- governing law
- Which country's or state's laws are used to settle any dispute, no matter where you live. For example, a user in Ohio may find the terms are judged under California law.
How we got here · grade B · score 49/100 · 14 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 info, messages, optional profile fields, IP address, browser and device data, and how you use the site.
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?
Staff and moderators may access your account for support, their jobs, fraud, and legal issues, not as a described routine chat-sampling program.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They say their own sites and apps have no advertising or trackers beyond a login session cookie.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with hosts, tech vendors, lawyers, payment firms, and chess databases that aggregate public games, not as a general data sale.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep your rights, but you give them a worldwide royalty-free license with the right to sublicense, with or without credit.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can request erasure, but they often keep data for the contract then about five years for legal claims, and may anonymize instead of delete.
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 say data is on secure EU servers and they use technical and organizational measures; no audit or leak history is described.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
You must be at least 15 to register, or a parent or teacher can make a kid account; there is no described ID check.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The privacy policy is dated, but the terms say keeping using the site after they post changes means you accept them.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may suspend or close your account for any reason without warning and may not give written notice.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The site is as-is with broad liability limits, and you must indemnify them for claims related to your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Play is free; donations are gifts. Refunds for mistaken donations are discretionary if you contact them within 14 days.
The privacy policy is 3,696 words at a college graduate level (Flesch reading ease 38.2); the terms are 6,199 words at a college level.
