This review explains Google’s Privacy Policy in plain language, for people who use Search, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, or an Android phone, and for parents setting up a child’s account. It was checked on September 23, 2026. The policy was effective May 26, 2026. It is not legal advice.

Primary source: Google Privacy Policy.

Snapshot

• Covers Google services and affiliates, including YouTube and Android, unless a service has its own policy.
• Collects what you create, location, and activity, depending on settings.
• Uses that information to run services and to show ads. Google says it does not sell your personal information, and does not “share” it as California defines that word.
• Uses publicly available information to help train AI models, including Gemini.
• Children under 13 are pointed to a Family Link account, not a regular Google Account.

What they collect

Google collects location when you use its services, to offer directions, nearby results, and ads based on location. The type of location and how long it is stored depend on device and account settings. You can turn Android location off in the phone’s settings app. Timeline, if you turn it on, builds a private map of where you go with signed-in devices.

If you are signed in and have Search Services History or Web & App Activity turned on, activity on Google sites and apps can be saved as history in your Google Account, and some of that activity can include the general area you were in. The policy also lists biometric information if you choose to provide it, such as fingerprints in product studies, and precise GPS when a feature such as navigation needs it.

Who gets the data

Google says it does not share personal information outside Google except in listed cases: with your consent, with a domain administrator if a school or employer manages the account, for legal process, and with service providers acting for Google. It may share information that does not personally identify you with publishers, advertisers, and developers.

Advertisers do not get your name or email unless you ask, for example by tapping a call button on an ad, in which case Google may share your phone number with that business. Google does use browsing, search activity, location, and ad interactions to provide advertising. It says it does not show personalized ads based on sensitive categories such as race, religion, sexual orientation, or health.

Easy to miss

• “We do not sell your personal information” does not mean Google does not use your activity for ads. The policy describes both.
• History settings are easy to leave on. Search Services History and Web & App Activity are the switches the policy names. Turning off location on the phone does not, by itself, delete history already saved to the account.
• If a school or employer manages the account, the administrator can access it. A family Gmail is not the same as a school account, but a school Chromebook often is managed.
• Public YouTube videos and public comments can be found by search engines. The policy says that when you share publicly, the content may become accessible that way.

New technology

Google says it uses publicly available information “to help train Google’s AI models and build products and features like Google Translate, Gemini Apps, and Cloud AI capabilities.” That sentence is about public sources, not a statement that private Gmail is training data. This review did not find a clause, on the policy page opened September 23, 2026, that says the contents of your private mail are used to train Gemini. Do not assume either way beyond what the page says.

Location ads and Timeline are the other new-technology issues for a family: a signed-in phone can record where it has been if Timeline is on, and searches can be tied to a general area if history is on.

Kids and families

The policy points parents to Google Accounts Managed with Family Link for children under 13, or the applicable age in your country, and to a Family Link privacy guide and a teen privacy guide. Those guides were not opened for this review. Voice collection from children’s features on the Google Assistant is called out as its own topic. A parent should use a Family Link account for a child rather than an adult Gmail the child can change.

Older adults

Google uses the account email to warn you about sign-in from an unusual location. That warning is useful. It is also a pattern scammers copy. A real Google security alert does not ask you to read a code to a caller or to install remote-access software. Account recovery and deletion live in the Google Account, which the policy points to for access, correction, and deletion rights.

What you can turn off

1. On an Android phone, location is in the device settings app. Turn it off if you do not want GPS used. As of this review, that is a phone setting, and Google says it can change what is collected.
2. In the Google Account, review Search Services History, Web & App Activity, and Timeline. Turn off the ones you do not want saved, then delete existing history if you want the old map gone.
3. Use My Ad Center, which the policy names, to control ad personalization.
4. For a child, set up Family Link instead of sharing an adult account. Read the Family Link guide before you rely on a specific switch.

What this means for you

Google’s policy is readable, and it does say it does not sell your personal information. The practical risk for a family is the history and location switches that stay on, and the fact that ad measurement still uses activity even when your name is not handed to the advertiser.

Does Google sell my data?

The policy says Google does not sell your personal information and does not “share” it as the California Consumer Privacy Act defines that term. It does use activity and location for advertising, and it shares non-identifying information with partners.

Is Gemini trained on my email?

The clause checked here says publicly available information is used to help train models such as Gemini. It does not say private mailbox contents are used. If you need that answer for a specific Google product, open that product’s own privacy notice before you rely on this page.

This is not legal advice. Checked September 23, 2026. Settings screens move.

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This review explains the Amazon.com Privacy Notice in plain language, for shoppers, parents, and older adults. It was checked on September 23, 2026. The notice was last updated June 30, 2026. It is not legal advice, and it does not cover every Amazon device page.

Primary sources: Amazon.com Privacy Notice and Generative AI Development Disclosure.

Snapshot

• Covers Amazon products, services, stores, websites, devices, and apps that point to this notice.
• Using the services is treated as consent to the notice.
• Collects what you type, automatic click and device data, voice and images when you use those features, and information from carriers and other companies.
• Says it is not in the business of selling customers’ personal information, and still shares order details with third-party sellers and advertising identifiers with ad companies.
• Does not sell products for purchase by children. Under 18 requires a parent or guardian. Under 13 is not knowingly collected without a parent’s consent.

What they collect

Amazon stores information you provide, such as name, address, payment information, age, and the content of reviews. Automatic information includes IP address, the location of your device or computer, the full URL clickstream, products you viewed or searched for, and purchase history. Physical stores “may use cameras, computer vision, sensors, and other technology” to gather information about activity in the store.

If you use Alexa, the notice says voice recordings are collected and that you can access voice recordings associated with your account. The separate Alexa privacy page was not opened for this review.

Who gets the data

Amazon says customer information is shared with subsidiaries it controls that follow this notice or practices at least as protective. Third-party sellers, app providers, and Alexa skill makers receive personal information related to those transactions. Service providers can use it only to perform their job.

For ads, Amazon says it does not share your name or information that directly identifies you. It does share an advertising identifier, such as a cookie or a code derived from an email address, and an estimate of ad value. It says it does not share specific purchases, product views, or searches with ad companies. Some of those companies “also use this information to serve you relevant ads from other advertisers.”

Easy to miss

• The first paragraph says that by using Amazon Services, you are consenting to the notice. There is no separate “I agree” step described there.
• “We are not in the business of selling” is not the same as “no one else receives data.” Sellers get transaction details. Ad companies get identifiers.
• To browse without linking history to your account, Amazon says you must sign out and block cookies. Signing out alone is not the step they describe.
• Unless stated otherwise, the current notice applies to all information Amazon already has about you and your account. Amazon also says it will not materially weaken protections for information collected in the past without the consent of affected customers.

New technology

The notice says Amazon uses machine learning and artificial intelligence “to support and enhance the customer experience,” including “using data to develop or deploy our generative AI models and services.”

The Generative AI Development Disclosure, also checked on September 23, 2026, says training data may include licensed and proprietary datasets, synthetic data, open-source data, and publicly available content, including web-crawled data. Those datasets “may contain public domain content, rights-protected material, and in some cases, personal information or aggregate consumer information.” It does not say, in the pages opened for this review, that your order history is the training set. Do not treat those as the same claim.

Store cameras and computer vision are a separate new-technology issue for anyone who shops in an Amazon or Amazon-powered store.

Kids and families

Amazon says it does not sell products for purchase by children. It sells children’s products for adults to buy. Anyone under 18 may use the services only with a parent or guardian. Amazon says it does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. The Children’s Privacy Disclosure was not opened for this review. Household and Prime settings are visible in Your Account.

Older adults

Order history, payment settings, and voice recordings tied to the account can be viewed after signing in. Amazon may ask you to verify identity before it discloses personal information. Use a unique password, and sign out on a shared computer. The notice says that blocking cookies will also block the cart and checkout, so a shared computer needs a sign-out habit, not only a cookie block.

What you can turn off

1. Open Your Ads Privacy Choices, linked from the notice, to adjust personalized advertising. The exact screen was not re-walked for this review, so treat the menu names as current only as of the notice’s own links on September 23, 2026.
2. Turn off recommendation use for an item with the “Use this item for recommendations” toggle, and edit browsing history from Your Account.
3. For Alexa, use the account tools the notice points to for voice recordings. Confirm the steps on Amazon’s Alexa privacy page before you rely on them.
4. On a non-Amazon phone, location and contacts permissions are in the phone’s settings.

What this means for you

Amazon keeps a detailed picture of what you search, view, and buy, and it uses that picture for recommendations and for its own ads. The easy-to-miss part is the gap between “we do not sell your information” and the identifiers and seller records that still leave Amazon.

Does Amazon sell personal information?

The notice says Amazon is not in the business of selling customers’ personal information to others. It also describes sharing transaction data with third parties and advertising identifiers with ad companies. Read both sentences together.

Is my shopping used to train AI?

The privacy notice says Amazon uses data to develop or deploy generative AI models. The AI disclosure says training sets can include personal information in some cases. Neither page opened for this review lists your past orders as a training source. If that distinction matters to you, ask Amazon through Data Privacy Queries, which the notice links for access and deletion requests.

This is not legal advice. Checked September 23, 2026. The notice says Amazon’s business changes constantly and that you should check the page often.

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This review explains the Microsoft Privacy Statement in plain language, for Windows, Microsoft 365, Bing, and Xbox households, including parents and older adults. It was checked on September 23, 2026. Product sections are long, and not every product chapter was read line by line. Claims below are limited to sentences opened on that date. This is not legal advice.

Primary source: Microsoft Privacy Statement.

Snapshot

• Covers Microsoft products and services described in the statement, with extra chapters for Windows, Microsoft 365, Xbox, Bing, and others.
• Collects account data, content you create, location, voice clips, and, if you use Windows Hello, biometric data such as a fingerprint or face to sign in.
• Microsoft says it does not use what you say in email, human-to-human chat, video calls, or voice mail, or your personal files, photos, or documents, to target ads to you.
• Some Windows AI features stay on the device unless you choose to send content to a cloud service.
• Family Safety lets a parent connect a child’s account and, if activity reporting is on, see how the child uses the device.

What they collect

The statement lists interests you share or that Microsoft infers, voice data including spoken queries and background sounds, contacts if you use a product to manage them, and location that may be precise, from GPS, cell towers, or Wi-Fi, or imprecise, from an IP address or the city in your profile. Content includes files, emails, chats, photos, and documents you create or share with Microsoft products.

Biometric data is described for identity checks, with Windows Hello fingerprint or face sign-in as the example. The Windows Hello chapter was not read in full for this review.

Who gets the data

If you sign in to a third-party service with a Microsoft account, Microsoft shares account data with that third party according to the third party’s privacy policy. Service providers help determine device location and compile statistics, and some of those providers may set their own cookies.

Advertising uses data on Microsoft and third-party properties. The limit quoted above is specific: email content, human-to-human chat, calls, voice mail, and personal files are not used to target ads. Other data, such as an advertising ID, can still be used. You can opt out of personalized advertising from Microsoft, including Xandr, on the personalized ads page the statement links. Opting out does not stop ads. It makes them less personalized. Global Privacy Control is honored in certain jurisdictions and, the statement says, turns off sharing with third parties for personalized ads.

Easy to miss

• The ad limit covers the contents of mail and files. It does not say Microsoft ignores search queries, location, or an advertising ID.
• Signing in to another company’s site with a Microsoft account shares account data under that other company’s policy, not only Microsoft’s.
• Family activity reporting, when turned on, means Microsoft collects details about how the child uses the device and gives parents reports. Those reports are routinely deleted from Microsoft servers. “Routinely” is not a number of days in the sentence checked here.
• A GPC signal is described for certain jurisdictions, not as a worldwide switch.

New technology

Windows Click to Do can capture and analyze screenshots, identify text and images, and offer actions. The statement says Click to Do cannot identify the content within screenshots by itself, and that all activity remains on your local device unless you explicitly choose otherwise. Examples of leaving the device include sending an image for a Bing search, or requesting a summary of selected text, which is processed by Microsoft’s Azure AI cloud service. Microphone search inside a captured screenshot stays on the device: “The audio captured by the microphone is not transmitted off your device.”

The statement also says you may upload an image to Microsoft Copilot. That upload is a choice to send an image to Microsoft. The full Copilot chapter was not read line by line for this review.

Kids and families

Microsoft offers Family Safety tools so parents can connect children’s accounts to a family group. Accounts created with parental consent are added to the parent’s family group. The parent can manage settings on the Family Safety page and view or delete a child’s data on the privacy dashboard. Xbox has additional family settings. For users under 13, or the age set by local law, certain products block the user or require parental consent. If the user is under the statutory age, registration asks for a parent or guardian email.

Older adults

The privacy dashboard is where browsing, search, and location data tied to the Microsoft account can be viewed and cleared. Support calls may use voice data for authentication. That is a reason to be careful: a real Microsoft support flow should not start with an unexpected pop-up that asks you to call a number and install remote-access software. Use the privacy dashboard while you are signed in, or the contact path printed on the privacy statement.

What you can turn off

1. Open the Microsoft privacy dashboard, linked from the statement, and clear browsing, search, and location history you do not want kept.
2. Opt out of personalized ads on the personalized ads page, and review third-party ad settings. On Windows, the statement also points to turning off the advertising ID.
3. Leave Click to Do content on the device. Do not send a screenshot to Bing or ask for a cloud summary if you do not want that image processed by Azure AI.
4. For a child, use Family Safety, and decide whether activity reporting should be on. It is a parent report, and it is also a collection of how the child uses the device.

What this means for you

Microsoft draws a real line around the contents of your mail and documents for ad targeting. The newer line to watch is Windows AI that stays local until you choose a cloud action, and Family Safety reporting, which is helpful for a parent and is still a record of a child’s device use.

Does Microsoft read my email to show ads?

The statement says Microsoft does not use what you say in emails, human-to-human chat, video calls, or voice mail, or your personal files, photos, or documents, to target ads to you. Other data can still be used for personalized ads unless you opt out.

Does Windows AI send my screen to the cloud?

For Click to Do, the statement says activity remains on the local device unless you choose to send it, such as a Bing image search or an Azure AI summary. Recall is a separate Copilot+ PC feature. Its chapter was not quoted in this review.

This is not legal advice. Checked September 23, 2026. Menus and product chapters change. Recheck the statement before you rely on a switch.

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This review explains Meta’s Privacy Policy in plain language, for people who use Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger, and for parents of teens. It was checked on September 23, 2026. The policy was updated July 23, 2026. The United States regional notice and the “learn more” pages linked from the AI update were not fully opened. This is not legal advice.

Primary source: Meta Privacy Policy, including the printable version checked the same day.

Snapshot

• Covers Meta Products, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and AI at Meta. It also covers Meta Quest if you log in with a Meta account.
• The July 23, 2026 update adds agentic AI, meaning tools you can direct to take actions such as booking a restaurant or sending an email.
• Information shared with AI at Meta features is used to improve AI at Meta unless you have objected.
• Meta says it does not sell your information, and it still provides advertisers with reports about who sees and engages with ads.
• Supervision tools exist for a teen account, with a supervisor the teen chooses, such as a parent.

What they collect

The policy says Meta collects information from different sources. You can choose whether certain information is used in Accounts Center, including whether information is combined across accounts on different Products, and in cookie settings, including activity on other websites and apps that use Meta’s business tools.

For AI features, the policy lists prompts, which can include questions, messages, media, and other information you or others share with those features; the responses you receive; information about actions the features take, including data they access or share to take those actions; feedback; and information used to personalize the features. It also lists information from third-party apps you connect.

Who gets the data

The printable policy says, “We don’t sell your information, and we never will,” and that partners and other third parties must follow rules on how they can use information Meta provides. Advertisers receive reports about the number and kinds of people who see and engage with their ads. The policy also lists advertisers, publishers, app developers, and device makers as examples of partners. A full map of every partner share was not copied into this review. The United States regional notice is the page Meta points to for Personal Information handling and rights. It was not the page used for the quotes above.

Easy to miss

• “We never sell” is not the same as “advertisers learn nothing.” They get reports about audiences and engagement.
• AI improvement is on unless you object. The policy states that. The click-path for the objection is on a “learn more” page that was not opened for this review, so this page does not invent the menu name.
• Agentic AI can be directed to send an email or book a table. The policy says Meta collects the data those features access or share to take the action. That is a wider permission than a chatbot that only answers in the app.
• Accounts Center is where combining information across Facebook and Instagram is controlled. Leaving that on means activity on one app can inform the other.

New technology

The July 23, 2026 change notice is the clearest new-technology flag in this review. Meta added details about AI integrations, personalizing AI experiences, and agentic AI. The example Meta gives is a tool you direct to book a restaurant or send an email. Information shared with those features is used to improve AI at Meta unless you have objected.

Prompts can include media, not only text. If a teen uploads a photo to an AI feature, that upload is in the category the policy describes as collected.

Kids and families

Supervision, as described in the policy, gives supervisors chosen by a teen, such as parents and guardians, tools and insights for a teen account. That is not the same as a secret parent login. The teen chooses the supervisor. This review did not walk through the in-app Supervision screens, so treat the exact toggles as something to confirm in the app.

A minimum age and a children’s policy were not quoted from the pages opened for this review. Do not treat this page as the rule for under-13 accounts.

Older adults

Marketplace, Messenger, and ad-click chats are common places for impersonation. Meta will not need your password to “fix” an account by phone. Privacy controls the policy names are Accounts Center and cookie settings, used while you are signed in, not a code read to a caller.

What you can turn off

1. Open Accounts Center and review whether information is combined across Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta Products. The policy names this control.
2. Open cookie settings and review collection of activity on other websites and apps that use Meta business tools.
3. Before using an AI feature that can send a message or make a booking, assume the prompt and the action data are collected, and look for the objection control the policy mentions. This review did not confirm the button label.
4. For a teen, use Supervision only with the teen’s knowledge. Confirm the current tools in the app.

What this means for you

The 2026 change that matters for a family is not a small wording edit. Meta now describes AI that can act for you, and it says information shared with those features is used to improve its AI unless you object. Read that before a teen, or an older adult, connects an inbox or a calendar.

Does Meta sell personal information?

The policy says Meta does not sell your information and never will. It also says advertisers receive reports about the people who see and engage with ads. Those are different statements. Both were on the policy checked September 23, 2026.

Are AI chats used to train Meta’s AI?

The update notice says information shared with AI at Meta features is used to improve AI at Meta unless you have objected. The objection steps were not on the summary page opened for this review.

This is not legal advice. Checked September 23, 2026. The policy date was July 23, 2026.

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This review explains TikTok’s U.S. Privacy Policy in plain language, for parents, teens, and older adults who use the app. It was checked on September 23, 2026. The policy was last updated July 15, 2026. The separate Children’s Privacy Policy and Guardian’s Guide were not opened. This is not legal advice.

Primary source: TikTok U.S. Privacy Policy. The operator named on that page is TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.

Snapshot

• Covers TikTok apps, websites, software, related services, and the TikTok Ad Network for U.S. users.
• Collects what you post, messages, approximate location, and details extracted from your videos, including faces and spoken words.
• Says it does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising where restricted by law, and still shares data with service providers, sellers, researchers, and some affiliates.
• A public account can make posts visible to other users and the public.
• Under 13, or under 14 in Florida, is supposed to use a separate Under 13 Experience, not the regular app.

What they collect

TikTok collects information you provide, including messages you send through shopping chat with sellers, and information you enter on advertiser forms. Location in the policy section checked here is approximate, based on SIM region, IP address, and device settings, plus a place you choose to add to a post. Precise GPS was not described in that section.

From videos, images, and audio, TikTok collects content characteristics: objects and scenery, “the existence and location of a face and other body parts,” and the text of words spoken. It says it may collect biometric identifiers such as faceprints and voiceprints from user content, and that where the law requires it, TikTok will seek permission before that collection.

Who gets the data

TikTok says it does not sell personal information or share it with third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising where restricted by applicable law. It does share information with service providers and business partners for operations such as research, payments, deliveries, and technology services.

Sellers can receive information related to a purchase, including some information you provide and technical information. The policy also names TT Commerce & Global Services LLC and its affiliates, and says only specific categories are shared, consistent with applicable law, including Executive Order 14352. Affiliates under common control may receive information for purposes in the policy. Qualifying researchers may receive certain information. If you consent, TikTok may share an email address so a seller can send marketing.

Easy to miss

• A public account, with posts not individually restricted, means account information and user content may be visible to other users and the public. That is the default risk for a new teen account if nobody changes the setting.
• Face and voice analysis is not only a fun filter. The policy lists demographic classification and ad recommendations among the uses, alongside effects and moderation.
• Shopping chat with a seller is a message TikTok collects. It is not a private text outside the app.
• “We do not sell” still leaves room for seller marketing if you consent to sharing an email, and for researcher access.

New technology

The face, body, and speech analysis described above is the main new-technology issue in the pages opened for this review. Metadata “automatically uploaded in connection with your user content, messages, or AI interactions” is also named. The linked page that says “click here to learn more” about biometrics was not opened, so this review does not describe that extra page.

Kids and families

TikTok says the privacy of children matters, and that users under 13 in the United States, and 13-year-olds in Florida, get a separate experience that collects and processes only limited information. The Children’s Privacy Policy was not opened. If TikTok becomes aware a child’s information was collected outside that experience, it says it will delete the information and terminate the account.

A parent or guardian can request deletion or a download of a child’s data through TikTok’s privacy webform. Depending on the state, the policy says a parent may also have rights over a teen’s account. Connecticut residents under 18, and parents of Connecticut users under 16, have a specific unpublish or delete right described in the policy. The Guardian’s Guide is the parent resource TikTok names. It was not opened for this review.

Older adults

Shopping and seller messages are the practical risk. A seller is not TikTok support. Do not send a payment, gift card, or password in a shopping chat. Privacy requests go to the webform at tiktok.com/legal/report/privacy, or by mail to the Culver City address printed on the policy. A caller who demands a code is not that form.

What you can turn off

1. Set the account to private, and restrict individual posts, if the account should not be public. The policy ties visibility to those settings. Confirm the current switch in the app, because menus move.
2. Do not grant extra permissions the app does not need. Location in the section reviewed is approximate unless you add a place to a post.
3. Unsubscribe from marketing email with the link in the message. Do not share an email with a seller unless you mean to.
4. For a child under 13, or under 14 in Florida, use the separate children’s experience. Read the Children’s Privacy Policy before you rely on it. It was not checked in this review.

What this means for you

TikTok’s U.S. policy is clear that videos are analyzed, including faces and speech, and that a public account is visible beyond the people you know. Those two facts matter more for a family than the “we do not sell” sentence read alone.

Does TikTok sell personal information?

The policy says TikTok does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising where the law restricts that. It does describe sharing with service providers, sellers, affiliates, and researchers.

Can a parent delete a teen’s account?

The policy says a parent can request deletion of a child’s data or account through the privacy webform, and that some states add rights over a teen’s account. The exact screen depends on the state and was not tested in the app for this review.

This is not legal advice. Checked September 23, 2026 against the U.S. policy updated July 15, 2026.

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This review explains Apple’s Privacy Policy in plain language, for iPhone, iPad, and Mac households, including parents and older adults. It was checked on September 23, 2026. The policy was updated July 30, 2025. Product-specific notices, such as a feature that asks for data inside an app, were not each opened. This is not legal advice.

Primary source: Apple Privacy Policy.

Snapshot

• Describes how Apple collects, uses, and shares personal data. Feature-specific notices sit on top of this policy.
• Precise location is limited to services such as Find My, or where you agree.
• Apple says it does not sell personal data, including as California and Nevada define sale, and does not “share” it as California defines that word.
• Apple says your private personal data is not used to train its foundational AI models. Public web pages are crawled by Applebot.
• A child account requires a parent to review a family disclosure and give verifiable consent.

What they collect

The policy lists location as precise only to support services such as Find My, or where you agree for region-specific services, plus coarse location. Fitness details are collected where you choose to share them. Apple may also receive data from another person, for example if someone sends you a gift card or shares content with you, or if you direct a carrier to share account data for activation.

Who gets the data

Apple says it may share personal data with affiliated companies, service providers acting for Apple, partners, developers, and publishers, or others at your direction. It says it does not share personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes. Service providers are obligated to handle personal data for Apple’s tasks, such as processing, storage, and delivery.

Apple’s advertising platform may show ads on the App Store, Apple News, Stocks, and the Apple TV app, depending on location. The policy says that platform “does not track you,” meaning it does not link user or device data from Apple’s apps with user or device data from third parties for targeted advertising or measurement, and does not share user or device data with data brokers.

Easy to miss

• Find My is a precise-location service. If a family member is on a shared location circle, that is a choice inside Find My, not a hidden clause in this policy. The policy names Find My as a reason precise location is used.
• Personalized Ads can be turned off. The policy says disabling them opts the Apple Account out of receiving interest-targeted ads from Apple’s platform in those apps. This review did not confirm the factory default of that switch.
• A school-managed Apple Account is created by the school, not by the parent. The parent path and the school path are different.
• Privacy requests generally require signing in at privacy.apple.com so Apple can verify identity.

New technology

Apple uses Applebot, a web crawler, “to power features such as search and as a source for our foundational AI models.” It crawls information that is publicly available on the internet. Apple says it has measures to reduce personal data collected, makes no attempt to connect crawled data to an individual Apple user, and does not build profiles about individuals from it. The policy states: “Your private personal data is not used to train our foundational AI models.”

To opt out of that processing as an individual, the policy points to the Apple Intelligence Privacy Inquiries form. That form was not submitted for this review. Research datasets that contain images or voices are mentioned separately, and Apple says those are acquired under applicable law and are not the same sentence as the private-data training ban.

Kids and families

Apple treats a child as under 13, or the equivalent age set by law where you live. Certain services require a child Apple Account. A parent must review the Family Privacy Disclosure for Children and provide verifiable parental consent. If Apple learns a child’s data was collected without appropriate authorization, it says the data will be deleted as soon as possible. Parents exercise the child’s privacy rights by signing in to that child’s account at privacy.apple.com.

Older adults

Account and privacy tools require the Apple Account password. Set up a recovery contact or a trusted family member before a password is lost. Apple says it does not use algorithms or profiling to make a decision that would significantly affect you without a chance for human review. That is a useful limit, and it is not a promise that a scammer calling “from Apple” is real. Apple Support contact paths are listed on the policy page. Do not install remote-control software because a caller says they are Apple.

What you can turn off

1. Review location permission for each app in the phone’s settings. Precise location for Find My is a feature, not something this policy says is always on for every app.
2. Disable Personalized Ads if you do not want Apple’s own ad platform to target by interest. The policy says this opts the Apple Account out of those ads.
3. For Apple Intelligence processing described above, use the Apple Intelligence Privacy Inquiries form linked from the policy.
4. For a child, create a child Apple Account and complete the Family Privacy Disclosure. Do not hand over an adult Apple ID.

What this means for you

Among the policies reviewed on September 23, 2026, Apple’s is one of the tighter ones: no sale, no sharing with third parties for their own marketing, and a direct statement that private personal data is not used to train foundational models. The family issues that remain are Find My location sharing, Personalized Ads, and making sure a child has a child account rather than a shared adult login.

Does Apple sell personal data?

The policy says Apple does not sell your personal data, including as sale is defined in Nevada and California, and does not share it as California defines that term.

Is my iPhone data used to train Apple’s AI?

The policy says private personal data is not used to train foundational AI models. Public web pages crawled by Applebot are a separate source. If a specific feature shows its own data notice, read that notice too. Those in-app notices were not all opened for this review.

This is not legal advice. Checked September 23, 2026. The policy date on the page was July 30, 2025.

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This review explains Walmart’s own customer privacy notice in plain language, for shoppers, parents, and older adults. It was checked on September 23, 2026. The notice itself was updated August 20, 2026. This is not Walmart’s pharmacy or vision notice, and it is not legal advice.

Primary source: Walmart Customer Privacy Notice.

Snapshot

• Covers U.S. and Puerto Rico stores, websites, and apps where this notice is posted.
• Collects identifiers, purchases, device IDs, and, with consent, precise location, camera, microphone, and biometrics.
• Uses information for orders, ads, recommendations, fraud checks, and, in Walmart’s words, “training our AI.”
• May disclose information to Sam’s Club and other corporate-family companies, vendors, advertisers, and, for some categories, business partners for their own use.
• Sites are not directed to children. Walmart says it does not knowingly collect personal information from children online.

What they collect

The notice lists basic identifiers such as name, phone, email, and address, plus device and online identifiers such as IP address, cookie IDs, and mobile ad IDs. It also lists purchase history, communications with Walmart, demographics if you provide them, payment numbers, and inferences about preferences.

Location is imprecise by default, inferred from an IP address. Precise location is collected only if you consent. In stores, Bluetooth and free Wi-Fi can be used to recognize that your phone is in the store and to show nearby products.

Who gets the data

Walmart says it may disclose personal information within its corporate family, including Sam’s Club and One Finance, in ways consistent with this notice. Vendors get information to ship, bill, and process payments. Marketplace sellers get information needed to provide their product to you, and the notice says they are prohibited from using it for other purposes.

Advertising partners, social platforms, and measurement vendors also receive information. Appendix 1 says identifiers, commercial information, geolocation, sensory information, and inferences may be sold or shared with business partners for their own independent use, not only to serve Walmart. That is the state-law “sale or share” point. Text-message opt-in data is an exception: Walmart says it will not disclose that consent data to third parties for their own marketing.

Easy to miss

• Email, push, and postal mail are opt-out. Automated calls and texts are opt-in. Stopping mail can take six to ten weeks.
• An interest-based ad opt-out applies to the current browser on the current computer. If you clear cookies, you have to opt out again.
• Global Privacy Control is honored for the browser that sends it. If you are logged in when you send it, Walmart says the opt-out extends to the account, including linked VIZIO products that support it. Other “do not track” signals are not honored.
• If you give a phone number at the register, Walmart may store it with your account and use the purchase to tailor online ads.

New technology

The August 20, 2026 update added voice interactions. If you turn on the shopping voice assistant and consent to the microphone, the app “will continually listen for the key words ‘Hey, Walmart'” while the app is open. Walmart says it does not keep audio from before that phrase, and that it does not use voice data for biometric analysis. A text transcription is what Walmart receives.

Virtual try-on is separate. Eyeglass try-on collects biometric measurements and the notice says that data is deleted within 48 hours and is not sold or shared. Makeup try-on images are not stored, but measurements and images may be shared with Perfect Corp. Apparel try-on photos may be used to improve the tool.

VIZIO is owned by Walmart. Viewing and app data stay under the VIZIO policy unless you opt in to combine them with your Walmart account. You can turn that link off at VIZIO.com/account. In-store cameras and, where the law allows, license-plate readers are also described. A separate ALPR notice was not opened for this review.

Kids and families

Walmart says its sites are for a general audience and are not directed to children, defined as under 13 or 14 depending on the region. It does not knowingly collect personal information from children online. A child-directed service would post a separate notice. If you share a Walmart+ membership, the primary member can see some benefit information, such as aggregate savings by category.

Older adults

You can update contact and payment details in the account. To delete the account, the notice says to use Contact Us, or in the app open Account and use Delete Account. Privacy requests in some states can also be made by phone at 1-800-925-6278, saying “Privacy.” Identity checks may include a one-time passcode. Do not give that code to someone who calls you claiming to be Walmart.

What you can turn off

1. On the phone, turn off location and Bluetooth for the Walmart app if you do not want in-store or pickup location used. As of this review, that control is in the phone’s settings, not only in the Walmart app.
2. Use Your Privacy Choices in the website footer or app settings to opt out of sale, sharing, and targeted advertising. Logged-in Global Privacy Control can extend that choice to the account.
3. Turn off “Hey, Walmart” by withdrawing microphone consent in the phone settings.
4. If you linked a VIZIO TV, sign in at VIZIO.com/account and turn off combining viewing data with the Walmart account.

What this means for you

A normal Walmart purchase creates a record that can follow you into ads, and some of that information can go to business partners for their own use unless you opt out. The newest sharp edges are the always-listening wake word, camera try-on, and the optional link between Walmart and a VIZIO TV.

Does Walmart sell personal information?

The notice says some disclosures may be deemed a sale or share under state privacy laws, and Appendix 1 lists categories sold or shared with business partners for their own use. You can opt out through Your Privacy Choices or Global Privacy Control.

Is the pharmacy covered here?

No. Pharmacy, vision, and financial products have separate notices. Those pages were not opened for this review.

This is not legal advice. It is a reading of the customer privacy notice as checked on September 23, 2026. Menus move. Recheck the notice if you are about to rely on a setting.

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