Topcoder
- 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.
You give broad data and a license on contest work; they can close you anytime and you them.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, photos, payments, device IDs, usage, and data bought from other companies.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We also collect information about you from other sources including third parties from whom we purchase Personal Data and from publicly available information.”
Training
They run the site, market to you, and show personalized ads based on your activity.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Displaying personalized advertisements and content: We process your Personal Data to conduct marketing research, advertise to you, provide personalized information about us on and off our websites”
Sharing
They say they do not sell data, but share with vendors, affiliates, sponsors, and ad networks.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Topcoder does not sell Personal Data to marketers or unaffiliated third parties. We may share your Personal Data as follows:”
Kept
They keep data as long as they need it, and some stays even after you delete your account.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We may also retain certain information about you as required by law or for after you delete your account.”
Controls
You can edit some info, delete your account, and opt out of cookies, ads, and promo emails.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You may delete your account information at any time from the user preferences page.”
Fine print
They can change rules by posting them, close you anytime, and you must cover their legal costs.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to revoke any and all privileges associated with accessing and/or competing on our Website, and to take any other action we deem appropriate”
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 from user preferences
User preferences page (Privacy §9.2)
Turn off promotional emails
Account email options or unsubscribe links in those emails (Privacy §9.6)
Change cookie preferences
Cookie Preferences link in the page footer (Privacy §9.3)
Request access or deletion of personal data
privacy@topcoder.com or the form in Privacy §12
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
Anything you submit in a contest can be used by them forever, even if you leave.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“you shall grant non-exclusive, , worldwide, , all paid up, , unlimited usage rights into any and all Submissions made by you to Topcoder in connection with a Competition.”
For example, code you upload for a challenge can be reused or sublicensed without paying you extra, unless it is a Fun Challenge.
If someone sues them because of what you posted or how you used the site, you may have to pay their legal bills.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“you agree to us and any parent, subsidiary, sponsor or affiliated entities, our officers and employees, and officers and employees of any parent, subsidiary, sponsor or affiliated entities and hold them harmless from any and all claims and expenses, including attorney’s fees, arising from your use of our Website”
For example, if a contest entry you posted leads to a lawsuit, they can ask you to cover attorney fees.
They can shut off your account for any reason or no reason.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to revoke any and all privileges associated with accessing and/or competing on our Website, and to take any other action we deem appropriate including but not limited to terminating or suspending your use of”
For example, they could block you from competing without warning and you would have little say.
They buy extra information about you and mix it with what you give them.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We also collect information about you from other sources including third parties from whom we purchase Personal Data and from publicly available information.”
For example, they may buy job titles and LinkedIn URLs to target ads even if you never typed that in.
Ad and social networks can get data so they can market you off the site.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“With third-party social media networks, advertising networks and websites, so that Topcoder can market and advertise on third party platforms and websites;”
For example, an ad network may use site activity to show you Topcoder ads elsewhere.
Posts and many submissions are treated as public.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You understand that once you post User Content, your content becomes public. We are not responsible for keeping any User Content confidential.”
For example, a forum comment or contest post can be read by others and is not kept secret.
The rules can change as soon as they post a new page; keeping using the site means you accept it.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We may revise these Terms of Use at any time without prior notice by updating this page and such revisions will be effective upon posting to this page.”
For example, a new license or eligibility rule could apply the next time you log in without an email warning.
Deleting your account hides your profile but does not take down old contest work and messages.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Please note, however, that the contests, tasks, and messages you submitted prior to deleting your account will still be visible to others.”
For example, after you leave, people can still see a challenge you submitted last year.
They say they do not sell your personal data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Topcoder does not sell Personal Data to marketers or unaffiliated third parties.”
For example, they claim they will not sell your email list to random marketers, though they still share with partners.
You can turn off marketing emails in account settings or via the email itself.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You may opt out of receiving some or all categories of promotional communications from us by following the instructions in those communications or by updating your email options in your account preferences here.”
For example, you can stop newsletters while still getting account notices.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- targeted advertising
- Ads chosen for you based on what you have done across other apps and websites, not just this one. For example, you look at shoes in one app and see shoe ads in a totally different app the next day.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 F · score 28/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 4 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect more than account and contest content, including photos, device IDs, usage, location-ish data, and personal data purchased from others.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
They collect photographs and visual information on profiles, and they take a license to use your voice and likeness in marketing.
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 use cookies across sites and share with advertising networks for personalized ads; some opt-outs exist.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they do not sell personal data, but share with affiliates, sponsors, and ad networks, with some opt-outs.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You grant a perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable license on submissions and user content, and posted content is public.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can delete your account in preferences, but they may keep data for business or law, and old contests stay visible.
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 organizational, technical, and physical measures, but no audit or bug-bounty program is described.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The site is not for under 13; competitions require 18 and majority. There is no described age-check beyond that.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The privacy policy is dated, but changes take effect when posted; terms can change with no prior notice.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They can revoke access and competing privileges for any reason or no reason.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The site is as-is with almost no liability, and you must indemnify them for claims from your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 4,838 words at a professional or legal expert level (Flesch reading ease 0); the terms are 7,137 words at a college graduate level.
