WeTransfer denies using user files to train AI after backlash over confusing terms of service. Updates made to clarify intent around content moderation tools.
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| Following user backlash, WeTransfer confirms it does not use uploaded files to train AI and updates its terms of service to clarify content usage policies. Image: CH |
Amsterdam, Netherlands — July 16, 2025:
File-sharing service WeTransfer has confirmed it does not use files uploaded by users to train artificial intelligence (AI) models, following a wave of criticism and concern over recent changes to its terms of service.
Users across social media raised alarms earlier this week, interpreting the updated terms as granting WeTransfer permission to use personal and creative content for AI training. Creatives, including illustrators and actors, expressed frustration and hinted at switching to rival services.
In response, WeTransfer issued a statement reassuring users:
"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 told the BBC.
The contentious clause originally referenced using content “to improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process.” It also outlined the right for the company to “reproduce, distribute, modify,” or “publicly display” user files, which sparked speculation about AI training and data sharing.
WeTransfer clarified that the clause was intended solely to allow the use of AI for automated moderation and the detection of harmful content—not for developing AI models using user files. The company acknowledged the wording may have caused confusion and announced it had simplified the language.
"We've seen this passage may have caused confusion for our customers," WeTransfer said in a follow-up statement. The company has since updated Clause 6.3 of its terms of service to read:
"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 revised terms will take effect for existing users on August 8.
The situation mirrors a similar controversy involving Dropbox in late 2023, where users expressed fears that the service was using their data to train AI. Although Dropbox denied the claims, both incidents have highlighted growing user mistrust over how tech companies handle personal data in the age of AI.
Commenting on the issue, Mona Schroedel, a data protection lawyer at Freeths, said terms of service changes often carry “hidden risks” as companies rush to leverage AI.
“All companies are keen to cash in on the AI craze—and what AI needs more than anything is data,” she noted.
Schroedel also warned that users are often left with little choice but to accept new terms or risk losing access to essential tools.
WeTransfer, headquartered in Amsterdam, remains one of the most widely used file-sharing platforms globally. The company emphasized that it continues to prioritize user privacy and transparency in how it processes content.