shutterstock
- 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.
They collect account, billing, usage and tracking data, share ads with partners.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account, billing, searches and licenses, device and IP data, plus extra info from other companies.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“we may collect the following Personal Information from you: • Contact information such as your name, phone number, address and email address; and • Billing information”
Training
They use it to run the site, bill you, market to you, and let ad partners track you for interest-based ads.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Our third-party partner may use technologies such as cookies and trackers to gather information about your activities on this site and other sites in order to provide you advertising based upon your browsing activities and interests.”
Sharing
They say they do not sell your data; payment processors and other vendors who work for them can see it.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We do not sell or otherwise provide Personal Information to other companies for the marketing of their own products or services.”
Kept
They keep it while your account is active and as long as they need it for licenses or the law.
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Privacy policy
“We will retain your information for as long as your account is active and your information is needed to provide you services, as necessary to validate or enforce the licenses to use Content, or as required to fulfill our legal obligations.”
Controls
You can edit or delete your account in My Account, opt out of marketing email, and opt out of interest-based ads.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“If you wish to delete your account or request that we no longer use your information to provide you services by visiting the "My Account Preferences" link on the site and following the instructions under the section "Delete My Account".”
Fine print
They can cut off access without notice; you them.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Shutterstock may block, restrict, disable, suspend or terminate your access to all or part of the Site and/or Shutterstock Content at any time in Shutterstock's discretion, without prior notice or to you.”
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
My Account Preferences, then “Delete My Account”
Delete personal data or opt out of further processing
My Account – Preferences, section “Delete My Personal Data”
Opt out of interest-based ads
Your Choices (Opt Out) section; links labeled “clicking here” (EU has a separate link)
Turn off marketing emails
My Account link on the Site, then the email selections
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
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 Shutterstock, its subsidiaries, affiliates, licensors, employees, agents, third party information providers, Submitters and independent contractors against any claims, damages, costs, liabilities and expenses”
For example, if a photo you uploaded causes a lawsuit, you could be on the hook for their lawyers.
They can shut your account with no warning and no duty to pay you for the disruption.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Shutterstock may block, restrict, disable, suspend or terminate your access to all or part of the Site and/or Shutterstock Content at any time in Shutterstock's discretion, without prior notice or to you.”
For example, they could lock you out of downloads you already paid for without emailing you first.
Ad companies can follow you around the web to show ads based on what you looked at.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Our third-party partner may use technologies such as cookies and trackers to gather information about your activities on this site and other sites in order to provide you advertising based upon your browsing activities and interests.”
For example, searching for office photos here could lead to similar ads on other websites.
They can add extra facts about you from outside databases, not just what you typed.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We may supplement the information that we collect directly from you with information stored in third-party databases, such as demographic information or company information”
For example, they might attach company size or job data to your account for marketing.
They do not promise the site will work or be error-free, and you use it at your own risk.
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Terms of service
“The Site is provided by Shutterstock under these terms of use "as is" of any kind, either express, implied, statutory or otherwise.”
For example, if a download fails during a deadline, they say they are not on the hook.
They get a license to copy and show what you upload so the site can work, and a legal copy can last forever.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“By uploading Your Content, you grant Shutterstock a limited, worldwide, non-exclusive, license and right to copy, transmit, distribute, publicly perform and display”
For example, a photo you post for editing can be stored even after you take it down if they need it for a dispute.
They say they do not sell your personal information.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Shutterstock does not sell your personal data or personal information to any third party.”
For example, they claim they will not sell your email list to another brand.
The mobile apps are not supposed to use your GPS location.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We do not ask for, access or track any location-based information from your mobile device at any time while downloading or using our Mobile Apps or Services.”
For example, opening the app should not send your exact street to them.
They say the site is not for people under 18, but they only ask you not to sign up.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We do not intend to solicit or collect Personal Information from anyone under the age of 18. If you are under 18, do not enter information on this site or engage our services.”
For example, a 16-year-old could still create an account if they type an older age.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- warranty
- A promise that a product will work as described; most apps say they make no such promise at all. For example, if a paid feature never works on your phone, a no-warranty clause says that is your problem.
- 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.
How we got here · grade C · score 42/100 · 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 account and billing details, search and license history, device type, browser, OS and IP, and may add demographic data from other companies.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
The documents do not describe collecting voice, face or body data as biometrics.
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 partners use cookies and trackers on this site and others to serve interest-based ads, with an opt-out.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they do not sell personal information and share it with service providers who work for them.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
Uploads get a limited license so they can show and archive your content on the site; most of that license ends when you remove the content.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can delete in My Account, but they keep data while the account is active and as needed to enforce licenses and legal duties.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They build a summary of your preferences from cookies and history for tailored marketing, without describing a memory on/off switch.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe passwords, limited staff access, encryption in transit, and TLS for card data, but no independent audit.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
They say not to use the site if you are under 18, with no age-check described.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The privacy policy is dated January 26, 2024 and they say they will email or post before material privacy changes; terms say continued use means you accept.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may block or terminate access at any time in their discretion with no prior notice.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The site is as-is with broad warranty disclaimers, and you must indemnify them for claims tied to your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 4,725 words at a college level (Flesch reading ease 41.2); the terms are 2,266 words at a college level.
