You've Probably Used this App at least Once – Delete It While You Still Can!
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A very popular and equally practical application has just quietly changed its terms of use, and it's causing a huge problem. The application is used for sharing files and is available on all major platforms, including PC/Mac, Android, and iOS. Most of you have used it at least once in your lives. However, this app now wants to access your personal and private files for its own interests.
The application we're talking about is WeTransfer. It's one of the most widely used file-sharing tools in the world. Typically, you use WeTransfer when you want to send photos or videos that exceed the size allowed for normal attachments. Whether for work or study, many of you have used WeTransfer at some point. The tool is simple, fast, and mostly free of charge. You don't even need to create an account to send files.
Recently, WeTransfer changed its terms and conditions of use. With this change, from August 8, 2025, everything you transfer on the platform could be used to train artificial intelligence models. Without remuneration. Without explicit consent. And without even a notification.
A "perpetual license" to "improve the performance of machine learning models".
It was a user on Reddit who spotted this change in WeTransfer's T&Cs on Monday, July 14. In article 6.3, it read (yes, it read, we'll explain why just below):
You hereby grant us a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable and sublicensable license to use your Content for the purpose of operating, developing, marketing and improving the Service or new technologies or services, including to improve the performance of machine learning models to enhance our content moderation processes, in accordance with our Privacy and Cookies Policy.
This license includes the right to reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works from, broadcast, communicate to the public, publicly display and perform the Content. You will not be entitled to any compensation for any use of your Content by us under these Terms.
What's the risk to your personal data?
With this article 6.3 of its TOS, WeTransfer granted itself the right to:
- Copy, use, modify, distribute, display, and perform your content
- Create derivative works from your content
- Transfer and/or sub-license your content to third parties for an unlimited period of time
- Use your content to train machine learning models
- Exploit your content to develop and market new technologies or services
And all this, without compensating you in any way! Faced with the outcry, WeTransfer quickly - and once again, very discreetly - amended its T&Cs, deleting the reference to "perpetual license for the purpose of training machine learning models."
From now on, this famous article 6.3 simply 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 and Cookie Policy."
Trust broken, what are the alternatives?
But hasn't the damage already been done to users? The fact that WeTransfer has not openly communicated these changes seems dubious, to say the least. The initial amendment introducing the notion of a "perpetual license" was implemented on June 23. It took several weeks for users to notice the change.
This major change would have merited a press release of its own. Especially since WeTransfer demonstrated the same lack of transparency by "tempering" this change in response to user discontent. The company didn't even date this final correction in its GTC document.
Yes, it's more appropriate to speak of temperance than cancellation. WeTransfer still grants itself a free license to use your content "for the purposes of operating, developing and improving the Service." In short, WeTransfer appears to be determined to use your private files to serve its own interests.
Perhaps it's time to consider alternatives that respect your privacy more. Services such as SwissTransfer, Tresorit Send, or Proton's encrypted solutions, such as Drive or Mail, are commendable choices. WeTransfer also has other issues, such as the fact that your files are briefly accessible in clear text on their servers. How do you feel about this? Has this controversy caused you to lose confidence in WeTransfer? Do you plan to discontinue using this tool and explore alternatives?
Via: Reddit Source: CGU de WeTransfer
