WordPress.com (Deleted)
- The documents do not say whether your data trains AI.
- The documents do not say whether your data is used for ads.
- The documents do not say whether your data is sold or shared.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
You keep your posts, but they take a broad license, can close you anytime, auto-renew paid plans, and the privacy policy here is only a 2017 blog post.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
These documents do not list what they collect; a 2017 post only mentions examples like photos if you allow access.
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Privacy policy
“For example, to explain our disclosures about access to mobile device data, we say: “[i]f you give us permission to access the photographs on your mobile device’s camera roll, our Services may access the photos stored on your device when you upload a really amazing photograph of the sunrise to your website.””
Training
They use your content to run and improve the service, may show ads on your site, and may use AI features you turn on.
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Terms of service
“You grant us a worldwide, , transferable, , and non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, adapt, publicly display, and publish the Content for the purpose of providing and improving our products and Services and promoting your website Content.”
Sharing
Public posts can go to third parties (for example Firehose); they do not say they never sell data.
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Terms of service
“This license also allows us to make any publicly-posted Content available to select third parties (through Firehose, for example) so that third parties can analyze and/or distribute (but not publicly display) the Content.”
Kept
The documents do not say how long they keep your data after you delete it.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“If you delete Content, we’ll use reasonable efforts to remove it from public view, but you acknowledge that cached versions of the Content or references to the Content may not be immediately unavailable.”
Controls
You can cancel paid plans in settings, opt out of marketing, and they say you own your posts.
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Terms of service
“You can view your renewal date(s), cancel, or manage subscriptions in your settings (for example, WordPress.com’s Manage Purchases page or Woo’s My Subscriptions page) or by contacting the support team.”
Fine print
They can close you anytime without notice, cap , make you them, and auto-renew with mostly no refunds.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We may terminate your access to all or any part of our Services at any time, with or without cause or notice, effective immediately, including if we believe, in our sole discretion, that you have violated this Agreement, any service guidelines, or other applicable terms.”
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 or manage paid subscriptions
WordPress.com Manage Purchases page or Woo My Subscriptions page, or contact support
Opt out of marketing emails, calls, or texts
Marketing opt-out mentioned in the account section of the Terms
Review privacy settings for sharing public content
Privacy Settings support page referenced in the WordPress.com license section
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 off your site or account instantly, even without a reason or a warning.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We may terminate your access to all or any part of our Services at any time, with or without cause or notice, effective immediately”
For example, your blog could go offline overnight and they would not have to email you first.
If someone sues them because of how you used the service, you may have to pay their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“You agree to and Automattic, its contractors, and its licensors, and their respective directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any and all losses, liabilities, demands, damages, costs, claims, and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of or related to your use of our Services”
For example, if a post on your site leads to a lawsuit against Automattic, they can ask you to cover their lawyers.
Unless the law or a special policy says otherwise, money you pay is not coming back.
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Terms of service
“In all other cases, there are no refunds and all payments are final.”
For example, if you cancel a yearly plan after a week, they may keep the full year of fees.
They can copy, change, and share your posts to run and promote the product, and they can pass that right to others.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You grant us a worldwide, , transferable, , and non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, adapt, publicly display, and publish the Content for the purpose of providing and improving our products and Services and promoting your website Content.”
For example, a public blog post could be fed to partners who analyze WordPress.com content.
If they change the rules and you keep using the site, they treat that as you saying yes.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“By continuing to use our Services after we’ve notified you, you agree to be bound by the new Terms.”
For example, a new license or fee rule could apply just because you logged in after they posted an update.
If they mess up, they usually will not pay more than $50 or what you paid them in the last year.
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Terms of service
“for any amounts that exceed $50 or the fees paid by you to Automattic under the Agreement during the twelve (12) month period prior to the cause of action, whichever is greater.”
For example, if a backup failure wipes a shop worth thousands, their cap may still be $50 if you were on a free plan.
Paid plans keep charging until you cancel, including after a discount ends.
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Terms of service
“By enrolling in a subscription, you authorize us to automatically charge the then-applicable fees and Taxes for each subsequent subscription period until the subscription is canceled.”
For example, a $1 trial can roll into the full yearly price unless you cancel in time.
They say you own what you type into AI tools and what the AI writes back.
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Terms of service
“As between you and Automattic, and to the extent permitted by law, you own or have the rights to any content you input into AI features (“Input”) and anything generated by the AI features (“Output”).”
For example, a product description the AI drafts is treated as yours, not Automattic’s.
Your posts stay yours; they are not claiming to own your writing.
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Terms of service
“We don’t own your content, and you retain all ownership rights you have in the content you post to your website.”
For example, you can still sell or republish a blog essay you wrote on WordPress.com.
Kids under 13 (or 16 in Europe) are not supposed to use it; they rely on you saying you are old enough.
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Terms of service
“You’re not allowed to access or use our Services if you’re under the age of 13 (or 16 in Europe).”
For example, a 12-year-old can still type a birth year that looks adult and get an account.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- inputs and outputs
- Inputs are what you type, say or upload to an AI; outputs are what it gives back to you. For example, the question you ask a chatbot is an input and its answer is an output, and both may be stored.
How we got here · grade F · score 21/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 9 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
Not stated in the documents.
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?
Not stated in the documents.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
Not stated in the documents.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership of posts and AI input/output, but you grant a worldwide, transferable, sublicensable license to use and share that content to run and improve the service.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
Not stated in the documents.
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?
You must be 13, or 16 in Europe, and you represent that you meet that age. Under 18 you need a parent’s supervision.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The terms are dated. They may post changes and treat continued use as agreement. The 2017 privacy post said the same for January 2018.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They can end access at any time, with or without cause or notice, and they do not have to refund fees already paid.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is “as is,” liability is capped at $50 or a year of fees, and you must indemnify them for claims related to your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Subscriptions auto-renew until you cancel. Except where law or a stated policy requires it, they say there are no refunds and payments are final.
The privacy policy is 431 words at a fairly hard level (Flesch reading ease 52.7); the terms are 10,839 words at a college level.
