Snapshot of the source text at fetch time, not a live mirror of the policy page.
Plain-English summary
The policy raises several privacy concerns. Your direct messages and chat features within apps may be monitored, scanned by automated technology, and used to train AI models (risk_flags-1). Similarly, interactions with AI chatbots and emails to customer care will be recorded and may be used for AI training (risk_flags-2). Content you post that other users can read may expose your personal information publicly (data_use-1). Participating in incentive programs might lead to targeted advertising and sharing your data with various third parties (data_use-2). Sensitive demographic information collected through surveys may be used for marketing and shared with service providers and third-party advertisers (data_use-3). Interviews conducted with your consent may be recorded and used for marketing and advertising purposes (data_use-4). If you link social media or third-party accounts, you authorize the service to collect and store information from those accounts (gotchas-1). The service also infers information about your preferences using machine learning, which is then used for personalization, marketing, and creating audiences for third-party advertisers (data_use-6).
89% confidence
Ask Verbaterm
Follow up on findings with grounded answers from this review. Not legal advice.
Risk Flags
2 findings
Critical issues that need immediate attention and may be deal-breakers. These often involve significant privacy or financial risks.
high90% confidence
Your direct messages and chat features may be monitored and used to train AI models.
The service collects the content of direct messages and chat features, and it may use automated scanning, moderation technology, and AI models to monitor these messages for violations of acceptable use policies and terms of service, and for training AI models.
Why it matters: Your private communications within the app, such as direct messages, may be read by automated systems, which could compromise your privacy. Additionally, the content of these messages may be used to train AI, meaning your words could be utilized in the development of artificial intelligence systems.
In certain apps, you may be able to chat with other users of the Times Services through direct messages or send other users links to puzzles or games. We collect the content of those messages along with your use of any corresponding chat features—e.g., blocking, muting, or reporting another user to us. We may use automated scanning and moderation technology to monitor users' direct messages in order to identify any violations of an applicable Acceptable Use Policy and/or our Terms of Service and to help ensure a safe and respectful experience for you and other users. This information may be used to train AI models for these purposes.
**• For User-Generated Content**, paragraph 3 · Citation strength: strong
high95% confidence
AI chatbots and email AI tools will record your chat sessions and emails, which may be used to train AI models.
When engaging with an AI chatbot, the chat session will be recorded for quality assurance and training and may be used for training AI models. If you email Customer Care teams, your email may be forwarded to an AI tool that relies on generative AI to review and respond to it.
Why it matters: Your interactions with customer support via AI chatbots will be recorded and potentially used to train AI models, which could expose personal information shared during these conversations. Similarly, emails to customer service may be processed by AI tools. If you provide information in these interactions that you do not want recorded or used for AI training, you should refrain from doing so.
When you engage with our AI chatbot, by clicking “Begin Chat”, you consent to being connected to an AI chatbot for New York Times support. This chatbot relies on generative AI to provide you with customer support and answers to common questions. Your chat session will be recorded for quality assurance and training and may be used for training AI models. Please do not provide information in a chat session that you do not want recorded. Similarly, if you e-mail us, you consent to your email being forwarded to an AI tool that relies on generative AI to review and respond to your email with customer support.
**• For Reader Surveys, Research, Panels and Experience Programs**, paragraph 9 · Citation strength: strong
Data Use
6 findings
How your data is collected, processed, and shared with third parties. This section highlights potential privacy impacts.
medium90% confidence
User-generated content may be publicly accessible and readable by others.
The service allows users to post content that other users can read, such as comments or recipe notes. Any personal information included in these posts can be read, collected, and used by anyone.
Why it matters: If you post comments, recipe notes, or other content, any personal information you include in those posts can be seen, gathered, and used by other users, potentially impacting your privacy.
We offer you the ability to post content that other users can read(_e.g.,_ comments or recipe notes). Anyone can read, collect and use any personal information that accompanies your posts.
**• For User-Generated Content**, paragraph 1 · Citation strength: strong
medium90% confidence
Participation in incentive programs may lead to targeted advertising and data sharing with third parties.
If you participate in Incentive Programs involving the collection of personal information, this information may be used for targeted advertising. It may also be shared with data analytics providers, advertising technology vendors, and social media platforms.
Why it matters: Engaging in incentive programs could result in your personal information being used for targeted advertising and shared with various third-party companies, including those involved in analytics and advertising, which may increase the amount of personalized ads you receive.
Because these Incentive Programs involve the collection of personal information, they may be interpreted as “financial incentive” programs under California law (or other similar concept under another law). We use this information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy including for targeted advertising. We may share your personal information with third parties as described in this Privacy Policy, including data analytics providers, advertising technology vendors, and social media platforms.
**• For Contests, Sweepstakes and Special Offers;****Notice of Financial Incentives**, paragraph 2 · Citation strength: strong
medium85% confidence
Survey data, including sensitive demographic information, may be used for marketing and shared with service providers and third-party advertisers.
Surveys may request sensitive demographic information (age, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, family characteristics, and income) with user consent. This information, combined with automatically collected data, may be used for marketing of Times Services, personalizing marketing, and creating audiences for third-party advertisers. Personal information is also shared with service provider platforms.
Why it matters: If you consent to provide sensitive demographic data through surveys, this information can be used for targeted advertising and shared with service providers and third-party advertisers. This means your personal and sensitive data could be used to create profiles for advertising to you and others.
As described in more detail below, we combine information from these surveys and panels with information collected automatically from Times Services and we also apply internal or third party machine learning or artificial intelligence large language models or applications to this information (alone or in combination with other personal information we collect about you). We do this for the purposes of improving Times Services, for marketing research, to personalize marketing of Times Services to you and/or to create audiences for third party advertisers.
**• For Reader Surveys, Research, Panels and Experience Programs**, paragraph 4 · Citation strength: strong
medium90% confidence
Interviews may be recorded and used for marketing, advertising, and events with your consent.
With your consent, the service may record interviews and ask for permission to use your voice and likeness for marketing, advertising, and/or Times events.
Why it matters: If you agree to be interviewed and provide consent, your voice and image could be used for various promotional purposes, including marketing and advertising, which could lead to your likeness being publicly displayed.
With your consent, we may record interviews with you and ask for your permission to use your voice and likeness for a variety of purposes including marketing, advertising and/or Times events.
**• For Reader Surveys, Research, Panels and Experience Programs**, paragraph 5 · Citation strength: strong
medium85% confidence
Contact information from friends may be stored and used for referral offers and tracking referral usage.
If you invite friends to use Times Services, their information will be stored to send them referral offers, determine if they use the services after a referral, and send reminders.
Why it matters: When you refer friends, their personal information will be stored and used for marketing purposes related to referrals. This means your friends' data is used to track their engagement and send them offers, which may not align with their privacy wishes if they are unaware.
If you’d like to invite your friends to use Times Services, we will store this information for the sole purposes of allowing you to send your friends referral offers, for determining whether your friends use Times Services after a referral is sent, and to remind your friends of the referral sent on your behalf.
Inferred data about your preferences may be used for personalization, marketing, and third-party advertising.
The service infers new information from collected data, including likely preferences or characteristics, using automated means like machine learning. These inferences are used for personalization, improving services, marketing Times Services, and creating audiences for third-party advertisers and marketing on other sites.
Why it matters: The service creates profiles of your likely interests and characteristics using artificial intelligence. This inferred data can then be used to personalize content for you, market services to you, and target you with advertisements on other platforms, potentially influencing your online experience based on assumptions about your preferences.
We infer new information from other data we collect, including using automated means such as machine learning, which may include third party machine learning services or large language models. These inferences include information about your likely preferences or other characteristics (e.g., article topics, writers, teams or markets of interest to you). As described below, we use these inferences for purposes of personalization, to improve our services, to market Times Services to you and to create audiences for third party advertisers and for marketing on other sites and services.
_**1. (B) Inferences; Information We Create or Generate**_, paragraph 1 · Citation strength: strong
Cancellation & Renewal
All clear
Terms related to subscription cancellation, automatic renewals, and associated billing practices.
✓
Looking good
No billing surprises spotted
Verbaterm only flags concerns it can cite. No cancellation, auto-renewal, or refund terms needed attention here.
Gotchas
2 findings
Potentially overlooked clauses that could have significant implications for users.
medium90% confidence
Linking social media or third-party accounts authorizes data collection and storage from those accounts.
If you link your social media or other third-party accounts, you authorize the service to collect, store, and use any information they may provide, such as your email address.
Why it matters: By connecting your social media or third-party accounts, you are giving the service permission to collect and store information from those external platforms, which could expand the personal data they hold about you.
You can link your social media or other third-party account to a Times Service. These may include third party-connected devices. By linking that account, you authorize us to collect, store and use any information they may give us (_e.g.,_ your email address).
**Social Media Platforms and Other Third-Party Services**, paragraph 3 · Citation strength: strong
low85% confidence
Denying cookies or similar technologies may restrict access to parts of websites.
If your browser does not accept cookies or similar technologies, you may not be able to access certain parts of the service's websites.
Why it matters: If you configure your browser to block cookies or similar tracking technologies, you may find that some features or sections of the website become inaccessible to you.
If your browser doesn’t accept our cookies or similar technologies, you can’t access certain parts of our websites (_e.g.,_ your account on nytimes.com)_._