WeTransfer Backtracks on AI File Training Policy Amid User Backlash

WeTransfer Backtracks on AI File Training After Backlash: What You Need to Know

The company has updated changes in its policies after some users objected to new terms. WeTransfer, the service that allows users to send large files to others, is explaining itself to users and updating its terms of service after a backlash related to training AI models. The company published a blog post, "WeTransfer Terms of Service -- What's Really Changing" that details more updates the company made to its policies, after users noticed that recent changes seemed to suggest WeTransfer was training AI models on the files users are transferring. In the blog post, the company says: "First things first. Your content is always your content." The post goes on to say, "we don't use machine learning or any form of AI to process content shared via WeTransfer." WeTransfer explains that its use of AI would be to improve content moderation and enhance its ability to prevent the distribution of harmful content across its platform. The company adds those AI tools aren't being used and haven't been built yet. "To avoid confusion," it says, "we've removed this reference." A representative for WeTransfer did not immediately return an email seeking further comment. The backlash over the terms prompted users such as political correspondent Ava Santina to write on X, "Time to stop using WeTransfer who from 8th August have decided they'll own anything you transfer to power AI." Anxieties are high about what information that users share or store in services such as social media accounts are accessed by companies to train AI models. WeTransfer may be used for highly sensitive file transfers, raising fears that private information might be accessed by AI. This isn't the case, according to the company.

WeTransfer: We Won't Use Your Files to Train AI

WeTransfer has clarified that it won't use the files you share to train AI models. In the last day, the company has seen significant backlash after users noticed new terms said it would be able to train AI models on any files shared directly with WeTransfer. The company acted quickly to update its terms and conditions to reassure users that it won't use files to train AI models. In a statement to the BBC, a WeTransfer spokesperson said, "We don't use machine learning or any form of AI to process content shared via WeTransfer, nor do we sell content or data to any third parties." Since around late June or early July, the company's terms have shown changes expected to take effect on August 8. WeTransfer then changed its conditions with a further update on July 15. The first change in terms that sparked the backlash read, "You hereby grant us a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, commercializing, and improving the Service or new technologies or services, including to improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process, in accordance with the Privacy & Cookie Policy." The statement also said WeTransfer owns "the right to reproduce, distribute, modify, prepare derivative works based upon, broadcast, communicate to the public, publicly display, and perform Content." It also said users wouldn't see any payment when their content is used. In WeTransfer's statement to the BBC, it said it had now "made the language easier to understand." The company says it originally changed its terms to "include the possibility of using AI to improve content moderation" rather than it being designed to use submissions to train AI models. The company was swift to update its policy, and there's now no mention of AI models within this section of the policy. The shorter section now reads, "You hereby grant us a royalty-free license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the Service, all in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy." WeTransfer has also begun replying to users on social media who were upset about the changes. In its boilerplate messaging to users it notes "We do not use AI to process your files."

WeTransfer says files not used to train AI after backlash

The firm has now updated its terms, saying it has "made the language easier to understand" to avoid confusion. WeTransfer said the clause was initially added to "include the possibility of using AI to improve content moderation" and to identify harmful content. It appears to have been changed in late June or early July, according to snapshots taken on the Internet Archive. The terms had said WeTransfer could use content for purposes "including to improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process". It also included the right for WeTransfer to "reproduce, distribute, modify," or "publicly display" files uploaded to the service. Some users on social media interpreted this as WeTransfer giving itself the right to share or sell the files uploaded by users to AI companies. People working in the creative industries, including an illustrator and an actor, posted on X to say they used the service to send work and were considering changing to alternative providers. WeTransfer said it updated the clause on Tuesday, "as we've seen this passage may have caused confusion for our customers." The clause in the terms of service now says: "You hereby grant us a royalty-free license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the Service, all in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy." The rival file-sharing platform Dropbox also had to clarify it was not using files uploaded to its service to train AI models, after social media outcry in December 2023.

How WeTransfer reignited fears about training AI on user data

The controversy underscores growing trust issues between users and tech firms over AI Dutch file-sharing service WeTransfer is under fire after users spotted sweeping updates to its terms of service that appeared to let the company train AI models on their uploaded files. The company has now removed the controversial language, but users remain outraged. Here's what's going on -- and why it matters. WeTransfer users discovered this week that the service had updated its policy with a clause granting it a perpetual, royalty‑free license to use user‑uploaded content, including for "improving machine learning models that enhance content moderation." The changes were due to come into effect on August 8. That language was vague enough that many users -- including children's book writer Sarah McIntyre and comedian Matt Lieb -- felt it opened the door for WeTransfer to use or even sell their files to train AI without permission or compensation. On Tuesday afternoon, WeTransfer scrambled to douse the flames, saying in a press release that it doesn't use user content to train AI, nor does it sell or share files with third parties. The company says it considered using AI to "improve content moderation" in the future, but that such a feature "hasn't been built or deployed in practice." WeTransfer has also now amended its terms of service, removing any mentions of machine learning. The updated version states that users grant the company "a royalty-free license" to use their content for "operating, developing, and improving the service." But the damage to user trust may already be done. WeChat joins a growing list of companies that have attracted criticism for training machine learning systems on user data. Adobe, Zoom, Slack, Dropbox, and others have also recently walked back or clarified similar AI-related policies after public outcry. All these incidents tap into wider frustrations around copyright and consent in the AI age -- and point to trust issues between users and tech firms. WeTransfer has long marketed itself as a creative-friendly, privacy-conscious file-sharing service. So it's perhaps unsurprising that the vague wording around AI and sweeping license rights felt like a betrayal to its users, particularly for artists and freelancers worried their work could be quietly fed into machine learning models without consent. While WeTransder did clarify its terms, for many users of the service, the damage was already done. In replies to WeTransfer's official announcement on X, some said that it looked like the service had tested the waters with broader AI permissions, got swift public backlash, and then quickly walked it back. WeTransfer is unlikely to be the last tech firm caught up in this kind of controversy. As AI fever spreads, user data is becoming the new fuel.

WeTransfer clarifies it won't use your files to train AI amid user backlash

WeTransfer says it will not use your data to train AI models. Credit: Thiago Prudencio / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images WeTransfer was forced to respond this week after changes to its terms of service (TOS) triggered major backlash from users who believed the new language granted the service access to users' files to train AI. "We don't use machine learning or any form of AI to process content shared via WeTransfer, nor do we sell content or data to any third parties," a WeTransfer spokesperson told BBC News on Tuesday. WeTransfer clarified this after users noticed recent changes to its TOS page, which initially said the following policy would go into effect in August (via Wayback Machine on July 14, 2025). You hereby grant us a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, commercializing, and improving the Service or new technologies or services, including to improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process, in accordance with the Privacy & Cookie Policy. The language seemed to imply that WeTransfer could use data and files from users to train AI models, either their own or that of a third party. Outrage from users swiftly followed, many of whom are independent artists who use WeTransfer to send large files like film footage or music. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Users took to social media to call attention to the change, with some vowing to switch to another service. The issue of users' content being used as AI training data is a contentious one that has become increasingly widespread as companies look to develop their own AI models and features; particularly since these tools that can automate creative work and have already impacted job markets. Users are wary of freshly-updated terms of service, since it could mean signing their data away to AI models and automating themselves right out of a job. Similar confusions happened with other platforms, like CapCut's policy update, which sounded alarming but is actually pretty standard. And Adobe had to clarify its policy changes last year, when the update made it sound like it was using creators' content to train its Firefly model without permission. However, companies like Google and Meta rely on user data to train their models, following the whole "if something free, you're the product" doctrine. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. But WeTransfer has changed the language in the content section of the policy after acknowledging to BBC News that the previous update "may have caused confusion for our customers." The company further clarified to the outlet that the original language was intended to "include the possibility of using AI to improve content moderation" for the purposes of identifying harmful content. The section now reads: You hereby grant us a royalty-free license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the Service, all in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. In both versions of WeTransfer's TOS, the company states that the users own and retains all the rights to their work. That should clarify and confusion that WeTransfer was trying to take ownership of the work. Although WeTransfer does have a license to users' files, it's for the ostensive purpose of content moderation -- not to train AI models.

WeTransfer issues flurry of promises that it's not using your data to train AI models after its new terms of service aroused suspicion

The company moved fast to assure users it does not use uploaded content for AI training File-sharing platform WeTransfer spent a frantic day reassuring users that it has no intention of using any uploaded files to train AI models, after an update to its terms of service suggested that anything sent through the platform could be used for making or improving machine learning tools. The offending language buried in the ToS said that using WeTransfer gave the company the right to use the data "for the purposes of operating, developing, commercializing, and improving the Service or new technologies or services, including to improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process, in accordance with the Privacy & Cookie Policy." That part about machine learning and the general broad nature of the text seemed to suggest that WeTransfer could do whatever it wanted with your data, without any specific safeguards or clarifying qualifiers to alleviate suspicions. Perhaps understandably, a lot of WeTransfer users, who include many creative professionals, were upset at what this seemed to imply. Many started posting their plans to switch away from WeTransfer to other services in the same vein. Others began warning that people should encrypt files or switch to old-school physical delivery methods. WeTransfer noted the growing furor around the language and rushed to try and put out the fire. The company rewrote the section of the ToS and shared a blog explaining the confusion, promising repeatedly that no one's data would be used without their permission, especially for AI models. "From your feedback, we understood that it may have been unclear that you retain ownership and control of your content. We've since updated the terms further to make them easier to understand," WeTransfer wrote in the blog. "We've also removed the mention of machine learning, as it's not something WeTransfer uses in connection with customer content and may have caused some apprehension." While still granting a standard license for improving WeTransfer, the new text omits references to machine learning, focusing instead on the familiar scope needed to run and improve the platform. If this feels a little like deja vu, that's because something very similar happened about a year and a half ago with another file transfer platform, Dropbox. A change to the company's fine print implied that Dropbox was taking content uploaded by users in order to train AI models. Public outcry led to Dropbox apologizing for the confusion and fixing the offending boilerplate. The fact that it happened again in such a similar fashion is interesting not because of the awkward legal language used by software companies, but because it implies a knee-jerk distrust in these companies to protect your information. Assuming the worst is the default approach when there's uncertainty, and the companies have to make an extra effort to ease those tensions. Sensitivity from creative professionals to even the appearance of data misuse. In an era where tools like DALL·E, Midjourney, and ChatGPT train on the work of artists, writers, and musicians, the stakes are very real. The lawsuits and boycotts by artists over how their creations are used, not to mention suspicions of corporate data use, make the kinds of reassurances offered by WeTransfer are probably going to be something tech companies will want to have in place early on, lest they face the misplaced wrath of their customers

WeTransfer says user content will not be used to train AI after backlash

Firm revises new terms of service that had suggested uploaded files could be used to 'improve machine learning models' The popular filesharing service WeTransfer has said user content will not be used to train artificial intelligence after a change in its service terms had triggered a public backlash. The company, which is regularly used by creative professionals to transfer their work online, had suggested in new terms that uploaded files could be used to "improve machine learning models". The clause had previously said the service had a right to "reproduce, modify, distribute and publicly display" content, and the updated version caused confusion among users. A WeTransfer spokesperson said user content had never been used, even internally, to test or develop AI models and that "no specific kind of AI" was being considered for use by the Dutch company. The firm said: "There's no change in how WeTransfer handles your content in practice." WeTransfer revised the new terms of service on Tuesday to "make the language easier to understand" and removed any mention of machine learning or AI. The spokesperson added: "We hope that amending our legal terms to remove mention of machine learning and make the licensing conditions clearer will reassure those among our customers who were wondering what the update meant for them." The relevant section in the terms of service now reads: "You hereby grant us a royalty-free license to use your content for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the service, all in accordance with our privacy & cookie policy." Some users of the service, including a voice actor, a film-maker and a journalist, had shared their discontent with the new terms on X and threatened to cancel their subscriptions. The use of copyright-protected work by AI companies has become a particularly sensitive issue for the creative industries, which argue that using their output without permission endangers their livelihoods by denying them income and also potentially helping to create tools that compete with their own work. The Writers' Guild of Great Britain said it was glad to learn that WeTransfer had "provided clarity" and said: "Members' work should never be used to train AI systems without their permission." WeTransfer said: "As a company with deep roots in the creative community, we hold our customers and their work in the highest regard. We will continue to work to make sure WeTransfer is the best product it can be for our customers." The company was founded in 2009 to allow users to send large files via email without creating an official account. The service is now used by 80 million monthly users across 190 countries.

WeTransfer Changes Policy After Concern It Could Train AI on User's Photos

WeTransfer, a popular file-sharing platform used by photographers, has been forced into a climbdown after it faced a large backlash for changing its terms and conditions in a way that might allow the company to use customers' work to train AI models. The controversy began after a recent update to WeTransfer's terms appeared to grant the company broad rights over user content, including a clause referencing the use of data to "improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process." This language raised alarms creative professionals, including photographers, some of whom interpreted the terms as giving WeTransfer permission to use, sell, or share their files with AI companies. In response to growing concern on social media, WeTransfer issued multiple clarifications and revised the disputed section of its terms. "We don't use machine learning or any form of AI to process content shared via WeTransfer, nor do we sell content or data to any third parties," a company spokeswoman tells the BBC. WeTransfer says that the original clause was intended to cover the potential use of AI in internal content moderation processes, not for training commercial AI models. "From your feedback, we understood that it may have been unclear that you retain ownership and control of your content," the company writes in a blog post. "We've since updated the terms further to make them easier to understand. We've also removed the mention of machine learning, as it's not something WeTransfer uses in connection with customer content and may have caused some apprehension." The updated terms, which take effect for existing users on August 8, now state: "You hereby grant us a royalty-free license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the Service, all in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy." Previously, the terms also included the right to "reproduce, distribute, modify," or "publicly display" user content, which fueled further concerns that WeTransfer could share or monetize uploaded files. The company says the revised language is intended to prevent misinterpretation.

WeTransfer backlash highlights need for smarter AI practices

A recent update to WeTransfer's terms of service caused consternation after some of its customers feared that it meant content from files uploaded to the popular file-sharing service would automatically be used to train AI models. But the Netherlands-based company insisted on Tuesday that this is not the case, saying in a statement that it "does not sell user content to third parties," and nor does it "use AI in connection with customer content." Recommended Videos The updated terms of service that prompted the criticism was sent to its customers earlier this month and marked as going into effect on August 8, 2025. The text stated that WeTransfer could use content shared on its service for purposes "including to improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process." The new wording was widely interpreted as granting WeTransfer the right to use customer-uploaded files to train AI models. Many users reacting strongly, accusing WeTransfer of giving itself the right to share or sell customer content to AI companies hungry for fresh data to train their AI technologies. On Tuesday, WeTransfer tried to reassure its users by saying in a statement that "your content is always your content," and that "we don't use machine learning or any form of AI to process content shared via WeTransfer." It continued: "The passage that caught most people's eye was initially updated to include the possibility of using AI to improve content moderation and further enhance our measures to prevent the distribution of illegal or harmful content on the WeTransfer platform. Such a feature hasn't been built or used in practice, but it was under consideration for the future." It said that it had removed the mention of machine learning from its terms, "as it's not something WeTransfer uses in connection with customer content and may have caused some apprehension." The revised section now states: "You hereby grant us a royalty-free license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the Service, all in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy." The controversial episode highlights the growing sensitivity among people toward having their content used for AI model training. Artists, musicians, and writers, for example, have been protesting strongly against AI companies using their work to train AI models without asking for permission or offering compensation. The troubling episode is also a lesson for other online companies to be clearer about how they're handling user data, as misunderstandings over AI can, as we've seen, quickly escalate into a major backlash.

Is WeTransfer Using Your Content to Train Its AI?

Perhaps the biggest user privacy issue of our time has to do, of course, with AI. AI models have an insatiable appetite for data, as the only way to improve them is to feed them new, high-quality information. As such, companies that develop these models turn to the most convenient pool of data they have access to -- which, unfortunately, belongs to their own users. WeTransfer is the latest company to come under fire for the practice. You may have seen the discourse already. On social media sites like Bluesky, angry WeTransfer users are blasting the company for a recent change in its terms of service. It's not hard to see why: The language in the new terms appears to clearly say that the company reserves the right to use your content to improve its AI models. "You hereby grant us a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licenseable license to use your Content for the purposes of...improving the Service or new technologies or services, including to improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process." There aren't many other ways to interpret that. Apparently, though, we did "misinterpret" the situation. A WeTransfer spokeswoman told BBC News as much, stating, "We don't use machine learning or any form of AI to process content shared via WeTransfer, nor do we sell content or data to any third parties." WeTransfer claims the wording in the new terms of service was meant to "include the possibility of using AI to improve content moderation," as well as identify "harmful content." Sure, Jan. Following the backlash, the company has changed the terms, and has "made the language easier to understand." By that, they must mean removing all references to using your content to train AI models, because that language simply doesn't exist anymore. Unrelated to AI use, the original terms also appeared to give WeTransfer the right to do whatever they want with your content. "Such license includes the right to reproduce, distribute, modify, prepare derivative works based upon, broadcast, communicate to the public, publicly display, and perform Content. You will not be entitled to compensation for any use of Content by us under these Terms." This language has been changed as well, to the following: "You hereby grant us a royalty-free license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the Service, all in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy." Interestingly, the original language around licensing (but not AI training) does appear in regard to feedback you may provide WeTransfer. (Sure, WeTransfer, take a royalty-free license to do whatever you want with my feedback with no expectation of providing compensation. Just don't take my content to train your crummy AI.) WeTransfer's new terms go into effect Aug. 8, unless you're a "new user." Time will tell how many users, old and new, decide to ditch WeTransfer over the scandal.

WeTransfer Says it Won't Use Your Files to Train AI Models After Criticism

WeTransfer says that handling of content remains unchanged on the platform WeTransfer has issued a clarification that it will not use files uploaded by users to train artificial intelligence models, after users criticised the company's changes to its terms of service. Earlier this month, the file transfer service updated its terms of service to state that WeTransfer could use AI to improve its content moderation and "reproduce, distribute, modify" users files that were uploaded on the platform. WeTransfer says it has made changes to its terms again, removing references to the use of machine learning. In a blog post on Tuesday, the platform attempted to clarify its updated terms of service that are set to come into effect on August 8. At the time, section 6.3 of the document stated that WeTransfer users granted the company a "perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable license" that would be used to operate, develop, commercialise, and improve the file transfer service. The amended version of WeTransfer's terms of service (removals in red) However, the updated terms of service also stated the license would allow the company to "reproduce, distribute, modify, prepare derivative works based upon, broadcast, communicate to the public, publicly display, and perform" original content uploaded by users to the platform. Meanwhile, the company would not be required to compensate creators for the use of the content, as described in the terms of service. Several WeTransfer customers, including content creators and creative professionals, expressed concern about the modified terms, and some said they would stop using the service. Following user backlash, the company explained in its blog post that section 6.2 of its terms of service (Ownership of Content) states that it doesn't claim ownership rights over user content. The service also stated that all "right, title, and interest, including all intellectual property rights" are held by the creator of the content and their licensors. Meanwhile, the company has modified section 6.3 of its terms of service, removing mentions of commercialising content and training machine learning models. It also deleted the portion that allowed the company to modify or reuse user content without compensating creators. WeTransfer says that handling of content remains unchanged on the platform, even after the new terms of service come into effect next month. The platform says the portion of the terms that mentioned machine learning was due to the "possibility of using AI to improve content moderation", but added that such a feature does not exist at the moment. While the company was forced into a climbdown due to user backlash following changes to its terms of service, the issue highlights how online platforms can quickly get access to user data by modifying their terms of service. Companies like Dropbox and Adobe had to issue clarifications in 2023 and 2024, respectively, with regard to accessing user content.

WeTransfer Clarifies Terms Of Service Amid AI Training Backlash

Amid backlash about using customer files to train AI models, file-sharing service WeTransfer has recently amended its terms and conditions to reflect that users continue to retain ownership of their content. The backlash came after the company originally updated its terms and conditions on July 1 to state that people using WeTransfer grant it a "perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable license" to use their content. The purpose of this license was for WeTransfer to operate and improve its service, including the performance of machine learning models that enhance the company's content moderation process. Further, the terms and conditions stated that with this license, WeTransfer would have the right to "reproduce, distribute, modify, prepare derivative works based upon, broadcast, communicate to the public, publicly display, and perform" the content that users send via its service. "You will not be entitled to compensation for any use of Content by us under these Terms," the company added. Users were concerned that this would allow the company to train AI models on the data they send using the service, and about the company's rights to sell and distribute their work. In a blog post addressing user concerns, the company emphasised that users retain ownership over their content. So what do the amended terms say? Given the backlash, the company's amended terms now state that users grant WeTransfer a royalty-free license to use content "for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving" its services as per its privacy policy. The privacy policy further details these purposes, some of which include: * Providing distribution and payment collection features as well as facilitating and processing orders. * Sending content recipients a link to download user content * Serve and measure the effectiveness of both personalised and non-personalised ads * Analyse the WeTransfer service and its user base to improve the development of its services (like advertising), business activities (like marketing), and technologies. * Enforce the terms of service * Maintain the safety and security of the service. This includes detecting and acting against suspicions of illegal or unwanted activity or user content, such as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), malware, fraud, and copyright infringement. The rationale behind the original terms and conditions: WeTransfer explains that it does not use machine learning or any form of AI to process the content that users share via its service. It adds that it included the section about machine learning in its original update to "include the possibility of using AI to improve content moderation." However, it has not built such a feature yet. With regards to the licensing terms specified under the terms of service, the company explains that it has not made any changes to how WeTransfer handles content. "The change in wording was meant to simplify the terms while ensuring our customers can enjoy WeTransfer's features and services as they were built to be used," it said. Why it matters: This isn't the first time users have raised concerns about a tech company mentioning AI model training in its updated terms of service. For instance, in June 2024, in a very similar situation, Adobe updated its terms and conditions to say that it may access user content through automated and manual methods. The updated terms also said that users provide it a license to use, reproduce, publicly display, distribute, modify, and create derivative works based on users' content for operating and improving its service. Soon enough, Adobe clarified that it doesn't rely on users' content to train any generative AI tool. The swift backlash against both WeTransfer and Adobe demonstrates that consumers are becoming more vigilant about protecting their intellectual property and personal data from being used to develop AI systems sans explicit consent.