StoryCorps
- 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.
- Staff may review your content; the policy does not describe an opt-out.
Interviews default to public, they keep a broad license, and stories can stay with StoryCorps and the Library of Congress even after you leave.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, interviews, photos and audio, device IDs, cookies, viewing history, and sometimes precise location.
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Privacy policy
“We automatically receive and record certain information from your web browser when you access and use the Services, which may include your IP address, cookie information, hardware model, operating system version, unique device identifiers and mobile network information”
Training
They archive and share stories, customize ads, and use your interviews for research and new services.
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Privacy policy
“to customize and optimize the content or advertisements you receive or view when you use the Services, and otherwise improve your experience on our Services;”
Sharing
The public can see default interviews; they also share with hosts, the Library of Congress, funders, and researchers.
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Privacy policy
“StoryCorps may share your Personally Identifiable Information and Interview Content with third parties for data storage and hosting, and the U.S. Library of Congress for archiving purposes.”
Kept
Even after you cancel, they and partners like the Library of Congress may keep what you uploaded.
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Privacy policy
“If you cancel your account and discontinue your use of the Services, we and our third-party partners (including the U.S. Library of Congress, third party hosting and storage sites and others) may continue to retain information submitted, uploaded or otherwise provided by you prior to your cancellation of your account and/or discontinuance of your use of the Services.”
Controls
You can change interview privacy in your account, but StoryCorps and partners can still access it.
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Privacy policy
“You may change your privacy settings for your interviews and associated Interview Content (as defined in Section VI of our Terms of Use) through your account to make your information more private.”
Fine print
You grant a license; is capped at $100.
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Terms of service
“you grant StoryCorps a , , worldwide, non exclusive, , fully paid up, transferable license (with the right to ) to host, store, use, display, reproduce, create derivative works of, modify, adapt, edit, publish, and distribute your User Content”
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.
Change interview privacy from Fully Public
Your account interview privacy settings (Fully Public, Registered Users, or Private)
Email to limit partner access to your content
Contact [email protected] as stated in the Terms of Use interview privacy note
Delete your account and back up interviews first
Deactivate through account settings or at [email protected]
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 keep using, changing, and sharing your interviews forever, even with others, and you cannot take that permission back.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“you grant StoryCorps a , , worldwide, non exclusive, , fully paid up, transferable license (with the right to ) to host, store, use, display, reproduce, create derivative works of, modify, adapt, edit, publish, and distribute your User Content”
For example, they could put your family interview in a promo or give a partner the right to reuse it after you leave.
If you do nothing, anyone on the internet can find and hear your interview.
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Privacy policy
“The default setting for an interview is a general public setting. Therefore, unless you change your interview privacy setting, your interview and associated information will be public and accessible by anyone.”
For example, a stranger could search your name and play a private family story you recorded.
Deleting your account does not mean your stories disappear from StoryCorps or the Library of Congress.
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Privacy policy
“If you cancel your account and discontinue your use of the Services, we and our third-party partners (including the U.S. Library of Congress, third party hosting and storage sites and others) may continue to retain information submitted, uploaded or otherwise provided by you prior to your cancellation of your account and/or discontinuance of your use of the Services.”
For example, years after you quit, a researcher could still access an interview you thought you deleted.
They can shut your account instantly without telling you why.
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Terms of service
“StoryCorps reserves the right to terminate these Terms of Use, and/or temporarily or permanently suspend, withdraw or restrict your access to some or all of your user account and/or the Services, at any time, effective immediately, with or without notice, for any or no reason whatsoever.”
For example, you could lose access overnight and be told to back up stories yourself first.
If someone sues them over your interview or your use of the site, you may have to pay their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“You agree to , defend and hold the StoryCorps Parties harmless from and against all claims, causes of action, demands, obligations, damages, losses, liabilities, fines, penalties and expenses (including but not limited to attorneys’ fees)”
For example, if a relative objects to a story you posted, you could be on the hook for StoryCorps’ lawyer fees.
That program collects sensitive personal details to match you with a stranger.
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Privacy policy
“If you participate in the One Small Step (“OSS”) Interview initiative, StoryCorps will ask you for information about your religious affiliation, your political beliefs, whether you are a registered voter, your age, your gender, your race/ethnicity, your marital status”
For example, you might have to share your religion and politics before they pair you for a conversation.
They and ad networks can show you targeted ads based on what they know about you.
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Privacy policy
“To support and enhance the Services, we may use your information to serve advertisements on our Sites and on third party sites. These advertisements are sometimes targeted and served to particular users and may come from third party companies called “ad networks.””
For example, ads on another site might be chosen because of how you use StoryCorps.
If they mess up, they say they will not pay you more than $100.
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Terms of service
“THE STORYCORPS PARTIES TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES FINALLY AWARDED ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF USE OR THEIR SERVICES SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).”
For example, if a data leak caused you real harm, their contract still tries to cap payout at $100.
Kids under 13 are not supposed to use it; they say they will delete if they learn they collected that data.
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Privacy policy
“The Services and content on the Sites and the App are not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect, solicit or store information from anyone under the age of 13 or knowingly allow such persons to register or use the Services.”
For example, a parent can email them if a 12-year-old signed up.
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.
- device identifiers
- Codes that single out your phone or computer, used to recognise you across apps and sites. For example, the advertising ID on your phone lets two unrelated apps know they are seeing the same person.
- 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.
- perpetual
- Lasting forever, with no end date. For example, a perpetual licence means the company can keep using your video years after you leave.
- irrevocable
- Cannot be taken back or cancelled once given, even if you change your mind or delete your account. For example, an irrevocable licence to your photos means you cannot withdraw it later.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How we got here · grade F · score 28/100 · 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 interviews, photos, audio, account details, cookies, device IDs, viewing history, precise location with consent, and sensitive OSS questionnaire answers.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
They collect interview audio and images from your device and keep them as archive content linked to your account and partners.
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?
They say they have no duty to monitor, but they may access, review, and screen user content if they choose, with no review opt-out.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They may serve targeted ads on their sites and third-party sites using ad networks, based on your profile and usage.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with hosts, the Library of Congress, funders, sponsors, licensees, and researchers; they tell you to email if you do not want partner access.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership, but you grant a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable license, and interviews are public unless you change settings.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can delete an account, but they and partners including the Library of Congress may keep uploaded interviews indefinitely.
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 use reasonable measures to safeguard information but give no audit or leak history.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
You must be at least 13; ages 13–17 need a parent’s consent. There is no described age-proofing beyond that statement.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Policies are dated September 14, 2023. They may post updates and, for material privacy changes, try to notify you; continued use of the terms means you accept.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They can suspend or end your account at any time, with or without notice, for any or no reason.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is, liability is capped at $100, and you must indemnify them for claims tied to your use or content.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 4,043 words at a college level (Flesch reading ease 40.2); the terms are 8,071 words at a college graduate level.
