Wikimapia
- The documents do not say whether your data trains AI.
- Your data is used for personalized ads, including by third-party ad companies.
- The policy allows data sales or sharing; it does not describe an opt-out.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
Your map posts are public under a broad license; they can change rules or close you anytime, with ads and no .
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
- Sells or shares your data with no opt-out
Collected
Account email and password, plus usage logs, cookies, IP address, and what you click.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We may record information about your usage, such as when you use WikiMapia, the contacts you communicate with, and the frequency and size of data transfers”
Training
They run the site, personalize it, and let third-party ad companies use visit data for ads.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our services.”
Sharing
Your posts are public; other users and anyone on the internet can see and reuse them.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Any personal information that you voluntarily disclose online (on discussion boards, in messages and chat areas, profile pages, etc., except your email address, password and personally identifiable information) becomes publicly available”
Kept
The documents do not say how long they keep your data after you leave.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Wikimapia may terminate your account, delete your profile and any content or information that you have posted on the Service”
Controls
You can skip giving personal info, but they do not describe in-app deletion or training switches.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You may, of course, decline to submit personally identifiable information through the WikiMapia services, in which case you can still make User Submissions”
Fine print
They can change rules or close you anytime; the site is as-is and you them.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“we may terminate this Agreement at any time, in our discretion, and with or without notice 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.
Do not post anything you want kept private
Privacy notice: content uploaded becomes publicly available except email and password
Report impersonation or illegal content
Email contact @ wikimapia. org with your name and the URL
Check the terms page yourself for changes
http://wikimapia.org/terms_reference.html
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 get a broad right to copy, change, and pass on everything you upload, and they can give that right to others.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“by submitting the User Submissions to WikiMapia, you hereby grant WikiMapia a worldwide, non-exclusive, , sublicenseable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the User Submissions”
For example, a place note you write could be copied into other products or promotions without paying you.
Your map edits are public by default and others may reuse them commercially if they follow that license.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“All User Submissions of all users and all Wikimapia Data are freely available for commercial and non-commercial use under Creative Commons license Attribution-ShareAlike”
For example, a company could republish your building outline in a paid app if they credit Wikimapia.
They can shut you out and wipe your posts whenever they want, even with no warning.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“Wikimapia may terminate your account, delete your profile and any content or information that you have posted on the Service and/or prohibit you from using or accessing the Service for any reason, or no reason, at any time in its sole discretion, with or without notice.”
For example, you could log in and find your account and map comments gone overnight.
If someone sues them because of something you posted or how you used the site, you may have to pay their legal bills.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You shall , and, at our request, defend us and/or our licensors, officers, directors, employees, affiliates, agents and representatives from and against any and all claims”
For example, if a photo you uploaded leads to a lawsuit, they can ask you to cover their lawyers.
The rules can change without an email, and it is on you to keep checking the page.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We may modify these Terms at any time with or without notice. You shall assume all responsibility for reviewing this Agreement periodically”
For example, a new license on your old posts could appear and still bind you if you keep using the site.
Outside ad companies can track visits here and elsewhere to target ads.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.”
For example, looking at map pages could lead to related ads on other sites.
They promise almost nothing about the site working or being accurate, and you take the risk.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“YOU AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF WikiMapia SHALL BE AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WikiMapia, ITS MANAGERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS DISCLAIM ALL ”
For example, if map data is wrong and you get lost, they say that is your problem.
Do not treat anything you upload as private.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“WikiMapia does not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to any submissions.”
For example, a home address you add to a place page can be seen and copied by anyone.
They say they will not email you ads unless you agree or can opt out of that program.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We do not use your email address or other personally identifiable information to send commercial or marketing messages without your consent or except as part of a specific program or feature for which you will have the ability to opt-in or opt-out.”
For example, they can still email you about big site changes without extra consent.
Signing up mainly means giving an email and a password.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We ask for some personal information when you create a WikiMapia Account, including your email address and a password, which is used to protect your account from unauthorized access.”
For example, you can browse maps without an account, but admin tools need that login.
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.
- 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.
- worldwide license
- You let the company use your content anywhere on earth, usually for free and for as long as it likes. For example, a video you post can be shown in ads in any country without asking you again.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- opt in
- Something is off until you actively say yes to it. For example, marketing emails that only start after you tick a box are opt in.
- 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 19/100 · 14 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 6 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
Besides account email and password, they record usage, cookies, IP addresses, clickstream, and contacts you communicate with.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
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?
Third-party ad companies may use visit data from this and other sites to show interest-based ads.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
Posts are public and ad companies get visit data; they do not offer a sale or share opt-out.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You grant a worldwide sublicensable license, and submissions are public under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
They do not offer a user deletion path or a time limit; they may delete your profile when they close the account.
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?
Not stated in the documents.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
Not stated in the documents.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
They may change terms with or without notice; keeping using the site means you accept. A last-update date is given.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may end the agreement and your access at any time, for any or no reason, with or without notice.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service 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 terms are 4,115 words at a college level.
