Ubuntu Mate
- 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.
A 2013-era forum: they keep IPs for years, posts are CC-licensed, and they can ban you anytime.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Name, email, IP addresses, cookies, and server logs when you register or post.
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Privacy policy
“When registered and posting, we record the IP address that the post originated from. We also may retain server logs which include the IP address of every request to our server.”
Training
They use it to run the forum, email you, improve the site, and may use non-personal data for ads.
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Privacy policy
“Any of the information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways:”
Sharing
They say they do not sell personal info, but trusted helpers and ad uses of non-personal data are allowed.
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Privacy policy
“We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information.”
Kept
Server logs up to 90 days; IPs tied to your posts up to 5 years.
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Privacy policy
“Retain the IP addresses associated with registered users and their posts no more than 5 years.”
Controls
The documents do not describe in-app deletion, training toggles, or memory controls.
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Privacy policy
“By using our site, you consent to our web site privacy policy.”
Fine print
They can ban you anytime, paid plans auto-renew with no refunds.
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Terms of service
“Ubuntu MATE Community may terminate your access to all or any part of the Website at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately.”
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.
Cancel paid upgrades before the period ends
Notify Ubuntu MATE Community before the end of the subscription period (terms: Payment and Renewal)
Stop using the site to end the agreement
Terms section 13: you may simply discontinue using the Website
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 instantly for any reason or none, without warning.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Ubuntu MATE Community may terminate your access to all or any part of the Website at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately.”
For example, you could lose access to your posts overnight with no email first.
If someone sues them because of something you posted, you may have to pay their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“You agree to and Ubuntu MATE Community, its contractors, and its licensors, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any and all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of your use of the Website”
For example, a copyright fight over a screenshot you uploaded could land the legal costs on you.
Money you pay for optional upgrades is kept even if you cancel or they close your account.
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Terms of service
“These fees are not refundable.”
For example, if you pay for a year and they ban you the next day, you do not get the rest back.
What you post can be copied and shared by others under that public license.
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Terms of service
“User contributions are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.”
For example, someone could republish your how-to post on another site with credit, without asking you.
They keep the IP that made each of your posts for up to five years.
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Privacy policy
“Retain the IP addresses associated with registered users and their posts no more than 5 years.”
For example, a post from 2021 could still have your old IP on file until 2026.
traffic data can be given to others for ads.
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Privacy policy
“However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.”
For example, how many people viewed a thread could be shared with an advertiser.
If they change the rules and you keep using the site, they treat that as you agreeing.
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Terms of service
“Your continued use of or access to the Website following the posting of any changes to this Agreement constitutes acceptance of those changes.”
For example, they could add new terms and you would be bound just by visiting again.
They say they will not sell your name or email, except to helpers who must keep it confidential or when the law requires it.
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Privacy policy
“We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information.”
For example, they would not list your email for sale, but a hosting vendor might still process it.
You must be 13 or older; they rely on you to follow that, not on ID checks.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Our site, products and services are all directed to people who are at least 13 years old or older.”
For example, a 12-year-old could still register if they type a fake age.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- consent
- Your clear agreement to something, given by an action like ticking a box or tapping Accept. For example, a pop-up asking if the app may use your location is asking for consent.
- 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.
How we got here · grade D · score 38/100 · 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 name, email, cookies, post IPs, and server logs, which is more than just account and posts.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
This is a text forum; 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?
Not stated in the documents.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They may give non-personal visitor information to others for marketing and advertising, and they display ads.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they do not sell personal information, but share it with trusted parties who help run the site.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
Your posts are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0, so they are reusable by others.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
IPs tied to posts may be kept up to 5 years; they do not describe deleting your account in the app.
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 a variety of security measures, without naming audits or a bug-bounty program.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
The site is for people 13 or older; they do not describe checking IDs.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Policies are dated, but they 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 end your access at any time, with or without cause or notice, and they need not refund you.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The site is “as is,” liability is capped at fees you paid in 12 months, and you must indemnify them for claims from your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Optional paid services auto-renew unless you cancel first, and fees are not refundable.
The privacy policy is 719 words at a fairly hard level (Flesch reading ease 53); the terms are 2,555 words at a professional or legal expert level.
