YouTube
- The policy allows AI training; it does not describe an opt-out.
- Your data is used for personalized ads, including by third-party ad companies.
- They say they do not sell or share your data.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
Google collects lots of watch, device, and location data to personalize YouTube and ads; you keep your videos but grant a wide licence.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
- Capped at C (the answers alone would give C): Uses your content for AI training with no opt-out
Collected
Account info, videos and comments, watch history, device IDs, location, and activity on other sites.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“The activity information we collect may include:Terms you search forVideos you watchViews and interactions with content and ads”
Training
They use it to run YouTube, recommend videos, show personalized ads, and train some AI on public info.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Depending on your settings, we may also show you personalized ads based on your interests and activity across Google services.”
Sharing
They say they do not sell your personal info; service providers and legal requests can still get it.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Google does not sell your personal information. Google also does not “share” your personal information as that term is defined in the ().”
Kept
The documents do not say how many days they keep data after you delete it.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We explain how Google retains information in Retaining your information. You can also learn more about how Google data.”
Controls
You can manage activity, ads, and downloads in your Google Account, My Activity, and My Ad Center.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You can also control what information we use to show you ads, or turn off personalized ads, by visiting My Ad Center.”
Fine print
UK users can go to local courts; they give notice of big term changes and a way to export content.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“If you live in the United Kingdom, this Agreement, and your relationship with YouTube under this Agreement will be of your country of residence, and either party may bring legal proceedings (including for breaches of these terms) in your local courts.”
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.
Turn off personalized ads
My Ad Center (linked from the privacy policy as your ad settings)
Review and delete watch and search history
Google Account My Activity
Download a copy then close your YouTube channel
Google Account / Google Takeout, then delete the Service from your Google Account
Use Family Link / YouTube Kids for children
Help Center and Google’s Family Link, as described in the terms
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
Public stuff on Google services, which can include public YouTube videos, may be used to train Google’s AI.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“we use publicly available information to help train Google’s AI models and build products and features like Google Translate, Gemini Apps, and Cloud AI capabilities.”
For example, a public video you uploaded could be used to help build Google’s AI products, and this policy does not describe a switch to stop that.
They collect what you do on many other websites and apps that use Google ads or analytics, not just YouTube.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Activity on third-party sites and apps that use our servicesChrome browsing history you’ve synced with your Google Account”
For example, watching baking videos on YouTube and then visiting a cooking site that uses Google ads can be linked together.
They collect location, including from GPS and nearby Wi-Fi, and can use it for ads.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We collect location information when you use our services, which helps us offer features like driving directions, search results for things near you, and ads based on your location.”
For example, they may use your IP or GPS to show ads for a nearby shop while you watch YouTube.
Your YouTube watches and other Google activity can be used to pick ads for you, unless you change ad settings.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Depending on your settings, we may also show you personalized ads based on your interests and activity across Google services.”
For example, searching for mountain bikes can lead to sports ads on YouTube.
You still own your videos, but YouTube can copy, change, show, and them to run and promote the service.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“By providing Content to the Service, you grant to YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive, , transferable, licence to use that Content (including to reproduce, distribute, modify, display and perform it) for the purpose of operating, promoting, and improving the Service.”
For example, they can show your video in ads for YouTube or pass copies to partners that help run the site.
They can put ads on your videos or charge for access, and these terms do not promise you money.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You grant to YouTube the right to monetize your Content on the Service (and such monetization may include displaying ads on or within Content or charging users a fee for access). This Agreement does not entitle you to any payments.”
For example, ads can play on your upload even if you are not in the Partner Program.
They can lock or close your account for rule breaks, legal orders, or if they think your conduct could cause harm.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“YouTube reserves the right to suspend or terminate your Google account or your access to all or part of the Service if: (a) you materially or repeatedly breach this Agreement; (b) we are required to do so to comply with a legal requirement or a court order; or (c) we reasonably believe that there has been conduct that creates or harm to any user, other third party, YouTube or our Affiliates.”
For example, repeated Community Guidelines strikes can get your channel taken down.
They say they do not sell your personal information under that California definition.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Google does not sell your personal information. Google also does not “share” your personal information as that term is defined in the ().”
For example, they claim they will not sell a list of your name and email as a product, even while they still run ads.
If you live in the UK.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“either party may bring legal proceedings (including for breaches of these terms) in your local courts.”
For example.
The main service is for 13+, and younger kids need a parent to turn on YouTube Kids or family tools.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You may use the Service if you are at least 13 years old; however, children of all ages may use the Service and YouTube Kids (where available) if enabled by a parent or legal guardian.”
For example, a 10-year-old is supposed to use YouTube Kids only if a parent enables it.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- 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.
- 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.
- CCPA
- California's privacy law, which gives residents the right to see, delete and stop the sale of their data. For example, a Californian can ask the app to stop selling their data and it must comply.
- de-identified
- Data with your name and obvious identifiers removed, though it can sometimes still be traced back to you. For example, your chats with names stripped out may still be kept and studied after you delete your account.
- governing law
- Which country's or state's laws are used to settle any dispute, no matter where you live. For example, a user in Ohio may find the terms are judged under California law.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How we got here · grade D · score 37/100 · 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 far more than account details and videos: device IDs, IP, crash data, watch and search history, location including GPS, and activity on third-party sites that use Google services.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
They collect audio, images, and video from your interactions and uploads, stored with your account. Fingerprints are only if you choose to give them in studies.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
They say they use publicly available information to train Google’s AI models. This policy does not describe a way to opt that public-content training out.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Not stated in the documents.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They profile you for personalized ads across Google and link activity from other sites and apps that use Google ads or analytics. You can change this in My Ad Center.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They explicitly say Google does not sell personal information and does not “share” it as California’s CCPA defines that word.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership. You give YouTube a worldwide, sublicensable licence to use your content to operate, promote, and improve the service; the licence mostly ends when you remove the content.
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?
They keep watch history, inferences, and ad-interest categories in your Google Account, and they say you can review and control that in My Activity and ad settings.
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?
YouTube says you must be at least 13, or a parent must enable the service or YouTube Kids for younger children. That is a stated age rule, not a described ID check for every user.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
The terms are dated March 17, 2025 and promise reasonable advance notice of material changes. The privacy policy in this set has no date and is thin on exact retention times.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They say they will notify you of suspension or termination except in legal or safety cases, and they point to Google Takeout and downloading a copy before you close a channel.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
They keep consumer rights the law requires, but otherwise they make few promises about the service. For business users they cap liability at the greater of 12 months of YouTube payments or £500.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Not stated in the documents.
The privacy policy is 7,149 words at a professional or legal expert level (Flesch reading ease 19.9); the terms are 3,758 words at a fairly hard level.
