Snapshot of the source text at fetch time, not a live mirror of the policy page.
Plain-English summary
The Wikimedia Foundation Privacy Policy highlights several areas of concern for users. Content contributed to Wikimedia Sites is publicly and permanently available, and changes made without logging in are attributed to a temporary account. There's a risk that public or aggregated data can be used to infer personal details like geographical location, political affiliation, and gender (risk_flags-2). Once created, user accounts cannot be fully removed, though information on user pages can be hidden (risk_flags-3). Additionally, user data will be processed in the U.S. and may be transferred to other countries with potentially less stringent data protection laws (risk_flags-4). The policy notes that volunteer developers or third parties might place data-collecting tools on Wikimedia Sites without the Foundation's knowledge, and their handling of data is not covered by this policy. Furthermore, the policy explicitly states it does not cover the practices of third-party websites or mobile applications, even if they interact with Wikimedia Sites. Finally, while the Foundation strives for security, it cannot guarantee that its systems will not be breached (gotchas-3).
90% confidence
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Risk Flags
3 findings
Critical issues and red flags that could signify significant risks or harm.
Not clearly stated: No additional details are provided regarding specific risks or harm related to the cited clauses beyond what is explicitly stated in the source text.
high95% confidence
Inferred personal information from public data
Specific data made public by you or aggregated data that is made public by us can be used by anyone for analysis and to infer further information, such as which country a user is from, political affiliation, and gender.
Why it matters: Publicly shared or aggregated data can be used to infer sensitive personal details like your country, political affiliation, and gender, even if you did not directly disclose them.
You should be aware that specific data made public by you or aggregated data that is made public by us can be used by anyone for analysis and to infer further information, such as which country a user is from, political affiliation and gender.
Once created, user accounts cannot be removed entirely, though information on the user page can usually be hidden. This is because public contributions must be associated with their author.
Why it matters: Your user account and its public contributions cannot be fully deleted, meaning your content will remain associated with you permanently, even if you hide some information.
Once created, user accounts cannot be removed entirely (although you can usually hide the information on your user page if you choose to). This is because your public contributions must be associated with their author (you!).
Account Information & Registration, paragraph 9 · Citation strength: strong
high95% confidence
Data transferred to the U.S. and potentially other countries
The Wikimedia Foundation is based in San Francisco, California, with servers and data centers in the U.S. Using Wikimedia Sites means your Personal Information will be collected, transferred, stored, processed, disclosed, and used in the U.S. Your information may also be transferred from the U.S. to other countries that may have different or less stringent data protection laws.
Why it matters: Your personal data will be processed in the U.S. and could be transferred to other countries with potentially weaker data protection laws, which may expose your information to different privacy standards and legal jurisdictions.
The Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California, with servers and data centers located in the U.S. If you decide to use Wikimedia Sites, whether from inside or outside of the U.S., you understand that your Personal Information will be collected, transferred, stored, processed, disclosed and otherwise used in the U.S. as described in this Privacy Policy. You also understand that your information may be transferred by us from the U.S. to other countries, which may have different or less stringent data protection laws than your country, in connection with providing services to you.
How the company collects, uses, and shares your data.
?
Not clearly stated
No cited data-use findings — wording is unclear
No additional details are provided regarding data use beyond what is explicitly stated in the source text.
Cancellation & Renewal
Not clearly stated
Terms related to subscription cancellation, account termination, and automatic renewals.
?
Not clearly stated
No cited billing terms — wording is unclear
No information regarding cancellation or renewal policies was found in the provided clauses.
Gotchas
1 finding
Potentially overlooked clauses that could be unfavorable to the user.
Not clearly stated: No additional details are provided regarding potential gotchas beyond what is explicitly stated in the source text.
high90% confidence
No guarantee of secure data transmission or storage
While the Wikimedia Foundation strives to protect Personal Information with various measures, there is no such thing as completely secure data transmission or storage, so they cannot guarantee that their security will not be breached.
Why it matters: Despite security efforts, the service cannot guarantee that your personal information will be completely secure from breaches, meaning there's an inherent risk that your data could be compromised.
We strive to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We use a variety of physical and technical measures, policies, and procedures (such as access control procedures, network firewalls, and physical security) designed to protect our systems and your Personal Information. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as completely secure data transmission or storage, so we cannot guarantee that our security will not be breached (by technical measures or through violation of our policies and procedures).
Commitments and features that protect user interests.
Not clearly stated: No additional details are provided regarding protections beyond what is explicitly stated in the source text.
Protection95% confidence
No sale or rental of Personal Information for marketing
The Wikimedia Foundation commits to never selling your information or sharing it with third parties for marketing purposes.
Why it helps: This commitment ensures that your personal data will not be monetized or used by third parties for marketing without your consent, protecting you from unwanted solicitations.
Never selling your information or sharing it with third parties for marketing purposes.
Wikimedia Foundation Privacy Policy, paragraph 14 · Citation strength: strong
Protection90% confidence
Notification before disclosure of Personal Information for legal demands
The Foundation is committed to notifying you via email at least ten (10) calendar days, when possible, before disclosing your Personal Information in response to a legal demand, provided they are not legally restrained from contacting you, there is no credible threat to life or limb, and you have provided an email address.
Why it helps: This provision gives you advance notice before your personal information is disclosed due to a legal demand, allowing you to potentially object or seek legal advice.
We are committed to notifying you via email at least ten (10) calendar days, when possible, before we disclose your Personal Information in response to a legal demand. However, we may only provide notice if we are not legally restrained from contacting you, there is no credible threat to life or limb that is created or increased by disclosing the request, and you have provided us with an email address.
You can manage what kinds of notifications you receive and how often you receive them by going to your Notifications Preferences and User profile.
Why it helps: This allows you to control the frequency and type of communications you receive, helping to reduce unwanted emails and manage your inbox more effectively.
You can manage what kinds of notifications you receive and how often you receive them by going to your Notifications Preferences and User profile.
How We Use Information We Receive From You, paragraph 15 · Citation strength: strong
Protection95% confidence
Opportunity to access, update, or remove Personal Information
You can request access to or removal of your Personal Information. Registered users can access and update some Personal Information in their Preferences and download their user account data.
Why it helps: This provides you with control over your personal data, enabling you to review, correct, or request the deletion of your information.
If you would like to request access to or removal of your Personal Information, you may contact us.