"Reddit presents a high-risk privacy profile comparable to Google/Microsoft (55-70 range) due to extensive data collection of both public and private user content, aggressive third-party sharing with ad networks and AI training providers, and sophisticated cross-platform behavioral tracking for personalized advertising. The platform collects sensitive data including government IDs and location information, shares with advertisers globally, and explicitly ignores Do Not Track signals. Limited deletion guarantees, vague retention policies, and unilateral policy change authority further increase privacy risk, though the platform does not explicitly sell data to brokers."
reddit Privacy Concerns & Scorecard
Reddit shares user data extensively with advertising networks and measurement providers for personalized advertising on and off the platform. Data including cookie IDs, IP addresses, hashed email addresses, and behavioral information is shared with ad networks, audience measurement services (Google Analytics, Nielsen, Quantcast), and third-party advertisers for tracking across external sites and apps.
Reddit employs extensive cross-platform behavioral tracking for personalized advertising. The platform uses cookies, device IDs, email hashes, and inferred attributes to track users across Reddit and external websites/apps. Third-party ad networks combine Reddit data with their own information to create detailed user profiles. Do Not Track signals are explicitly ignored.
While Reddit offers opt-out mechanisms for some tracking and advertising, fundamental data collection practices cannot be disabled. Users cannot prevent collection of IP addresses, device information, or behavioral tracking while using the service. The 'Ads off Reddit' setting only controls third-party sharing for ad measurement, not underlying data collection.
Reddit collects and retains both public and private user content without meaningful limitations. This includes private messages, chats, modmail, saved content, voting history, and all user interactions. The platform also performs automated inference to create additional sensitive attributes (inferred age range, gender, interests) used for advertising and content personalization.
User-generated content (posts, comments) remains accessible after account deletion unless manually removed by the user. Reddit provides no automatic deletion of historical user activity or contribution history, creating permanent digital footprints.
Reddit's privacy policy uses vague language in critical areas regarding data purposes, retention periods, and third-party access. Terms like 'necessary,' 'legitimate business purposes,' and 'for service delivery' lack precise definitions. The scope of data available to third parties through APIs and embeds is not clearly delineated.
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Data Collection & Tracking
Personal Information Collected
Account creation, authentication, contact, age verification for program participation, and account security.
Personalization, content recommendations, targeted advertising, and audience measurement.
Personalized content, location-based recommendations, and targeted advertising.
Service functionality, cross-device tracking, ad personalization, and analytics.
Content personalization, recommendations, targeted advertising, and service improvement.
Platform functionality, content moderation, recommendations, and third-party access (APIs, AI training, search indexing).
Processing payments, fraud prevention, and financial record-keeping.
NFT and cryptocurrency feature support, publicly visible on user profiles.
User profile information, referral tracking, and professional networking.
Content personalization, targeted advertising, and recommendations.
Cross-Platform Tracking
Reddit extensively tracks users across external websites and applications through Reddit Embeds, its Developer Platform APIs, and third-party ad networks (Google Analytics, Nielsen, Quantcast). These integrations enable behavioral tracking on third-party sites where Reddit pixels are embedded or Reddit data is integrated. Third-party ad networks combine Reddit data with their own information to create detailed cross-platform user profiles for personalized advertising both on and off Reddit.
Tracking Methods:
Cookies and Similar Technologies
Reddit uses first-party and third-party cookies, web beacons, pixels, and similar tracking technologies to track user activity on and off the platform. Tracking persists across visits and enables behavioral analysis for ad targeting.
Device ID & Mobile Tracking
Mobile device IDs and advertising IDs enable tracking across apps and websites. These identifiers are collected and shared with ad networks for cross-platform behavioral profiling.
Email Hash Tracking
Reddit hashes email addresses and shares them with third-party ad networks, enabling identification of users across platforms and websites where the same email is registered.
Reddit Embeds & API Access
Reddit Embed widgets and Developer Platform APIs embedded on third-party websites enable Reddit to track user interactions with embedded content and collect user data across external sites.
Third-Party Ad Network Integration
Google Analytics, Nielsen, Quantcast, and other third-party ad networks track users across Reddit and external sites, combining data from multiple sources for detailed behavioral profiles.
Session Replay
For Reddit Ads users, session replay technology records user interactions and screen activity within the Reddit platform without explicit opt-in consent mentioned in the policy.
Login-Based Identification
Account login ties all user activity to a persistent identity, enabling complete behavioral tracking throughout the platform and integration with other tracking methods.
AI & Data Training
reddit uses your content to train AI
Below is what's used and how (if at all) you can object.
What Content Is Used
Public Posts
Public posts are accessible to AI chatbots including OpenAI's ChatGPT and used for AI model training
Public Comments
Public comments are accessible to AI chatbots including OpenAI's ChatGPT and used for AI model training
Content via APIs
Public content is available to developers and third parties via Reddit's Developer Platform and APIs, which can be used for AI training and model development
How to Object
No opt-out available
This service does not currently provide a public way to opt out of AI training.
Why We Analyzed reddit
TrueTerms automatically audits privacy policies and data practices using advanced machine learning to keep you informed and protected. This scorecard is based on the latest available public terms of service and privacy policies as of 2026.