Slack
- 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 with partners and affiliates; you can opt out.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
Your employer owns your messages; Slack logs usage, may share IDs for ads, and caps its at $100.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Messages and files plus account info, usage logs, device IDs, cookies, and sometimes contacts.
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Privacy policy
“Slack also collects, generates and/or receives the following categories of Other Information:”
Training
They run the product, improve features with usage data, and may target ads on other sites.
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Privacy policy
“We may also share personal information (in the form of identifiers and internet activity information) with third party advertisers for purposes of targeting advertisements on non-Slack websites, applications, and services.”
Sharing
Your company, coworkers, Slack’s vendors, and sometimes advertisers or law enforcement.
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Privacy policy
“Owners, administrators, Authorized Users, and other Customer representatives and personnel may be able to access, modify, or restrict access to Information.”
Kept
Your company sets how long messages stay; Slack may keep other data after you leave.
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Privacy policy
“This may include keeping your Other Information after you have deactivated your account for the period of time needed for Slack to pursue ”
Controls
Use account settings or ask your workspace admin; California users can opt out of ad sharing.
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Privacy policy
“You can do this using the settings and tools provided in your Services account. If you cannot use the settings and tools, contact the Customer who controls your workspace”
Fine print
Service is as-is; Slack’s to you is $100; they can disable your account.
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Terms of service
“OUR MAXIMUM TO YOU FOR ANY BREACH OF THE USER TERMS IS ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100) IN THE AGGREGATE.”
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.
Ask your workspace admin about retention and who can see messages
http://slack.com/account/team or https://slack.com/account/settings
Opt out of ad sharing (California)
privacy@slack.com, their form, or turn on Global Privacy Control in your browser
Object to marketing emails
Use the controls in marketing messages or contact privacy@slack.com
Request access or deletion of personal data Slack controls
Account settings, or privacy@slack.com / the Customer who controls the workspace
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
Your employer or the workspace owner owns what you type and upload, not you.
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Terms of service
“when an Authorized User (including, you) submits content or information to the Services, such as messages or files (“Customer Data”), you acknowledge and agree that the Customer Data is owned by Customer”
For example, if you leave the company, they can keep or delete your DMs without asking you.
Slack may send your IDs and browsing-style activity to ad companies for ads outside Slack.
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Privacy policy
“We may also share personal information (in the form of identifiers and internet activity information) with third party advertisers for purposes of targeting advertisements on non-Slack websites, applications, and services.”
For example, visiting Slack’s website could help an advertiser show you Slack-related ads elsewhere.
If Slack harms you as a user, they say they will not pay more than $100.
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Terms of service
“OUR MAXIMUM TO YOU FOR ANY BREACH OF THE USER TERMS IS ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100) IN THE AGGREGATE.”
For example, if a bug leaks your chats, these user terms try to cap what they owe you at $100.
Slack can shut off your account if they think there is a problem.
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Terms of service
“We may directly step in and take what we determine to be appropriate action (including disabling your account) if Customer does not take appropriate action or we believe there is a credible risk of harm”
For example, they could disable you without a long warning if they think you broke the rules.
Even after you leave, Slack may keep logs and account-related data for business and legal reasons.
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Privacy policy
“This may include keeping your Other Information after you have deactivated your account for the period of time needed for Slack to pursue , conduct audits, comply with (and demonstrate compliance with) legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.”
For example, your IP logs might stay after you deactivate so they can handle a later dispute.
If you import your address book, Slack collects those contacts.
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Privacy policy
“any contact information that an Authorized User chooses to import (such as importing an address book to find coworkers and Slack Connect contacts or calendar from a device or API)”
For example, uploading contacts to find coworkers sends those names and emails to Slack.
They say they do not sell your personal information as California law defines a sale.
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Privacy policy
“Slack does not sell (as such term is defined in the or otherwise) the personal information we collect (and will not sell it without providing a right to opt out).”
For example, they claim they will not sell a list of your details without an opt-out first.
They say independent security certifications cover how they protect data.
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Privacy policy
“Slack has received internationally recognized security certifications.”
For example, a company can check Slack’s published security practices and certs before trusting work chats there.
Big rule changes should come with notice by email or in Slack before they apply.
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Terms of service
“If we make a material change to the User Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy, we will provide you with reasonable notice prior to the change taking effect either by emailing the email address associated with your account or by messaging you through the Services.”
For example, they should message you before a major change to the user terms takes effect.
They set a 16+ age floor, but it is based on you saying you are old enough.
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Privacy policy
“Slack does not allow use of our Services and Websites by anyone younger than 16 years old, to the extent prohibited by applicable law.”
For example, a 15-year-old is not supposed to use Slack, but there is no described ID check.
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.
- legitimate interest
- A legal reason that lets a company use your data without asking, when it decides its own need outweighs your privacy. For example, an app may analyse how you use it to improve the product, without ever asking you.
- 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.
- 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.
- CCPA
- California's privacy law, which gives residents the right to see, delete and stop the sale of their data. For example, a Californian can ask the app to stop selling their data and it must comply.
- 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.
How we got here · grade C · score 47/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 4 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
Besides messages and account details, Slack collects usage metadata, logs, device IDs, cookies, approximate location, and optional imported contacts.
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?
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?
They may share identifiers and internet activity with third-party advertisers for ads on other sites.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they do not sell personal information, but they share with advertisers and offer California opt-outs for that sharing.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
Slack does not claim your messages; the Customer (your company) owns Customer Data and Slack processes it under that contract.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
Your company controls message retention. Slack may keep other information after you deactivate; you often must ask the Customer or Slack to 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 they have internationally recognized security certifications and point to security practices.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
They say the service is not for anyone under 16 and you represent you are over the legal age.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Policies are dated. Material privacy and terms changes get extra notice by email or in the product.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
Customer or Slack can end your access; Slack may disable your account if they see a risk of harm.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is and Slack’s maximum liability to you under the user terms is $100.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
The user terms do not describe you paying Slack; the Customer handles the subscription.
The privacy policy is 5,709 words at a professional or legal expert level (Flesch reading ease 13.9); the terms are 2,099 words at a professional or legal expert level.
