WeTransfer Denies Using Your Files for AI – After Major User Outcry

WeTransfer, the go-to site for sending oversized pitch decks, photo edits and embarrassing outtakes, has found itself at the centre of an AI-fuelled panic. After quietly tweaking its terms of service, users were quick to assume the worst – that the platform was planning to use their files to train artificial intelligence models.

Cue widespread panic on X (formerly Twitter), especially among creatives. Illustrators, actors and designers took to social media to say they were ready to jump ship. The concern? That WeTransfer had given itself permission to share, modify or even sell their work to third-party AI companies.

MORE: 10 Best Free AI Stock Image Sites

DISCOVER: Norway announces ban on Instagram photo editing

Image @wetransfer via Pinterest

But according to the company, it was all just a big misunderstanding. “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 spokeswoman told Imran Rahman-Jones from BBC News.

The original clause in the updated terms suggested that files could be used “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” uploaded files – which, understandably, got people twitchy about where their work might end up.

MORE: AI Imagined ‘Beautiful Women’ from 100 Countries Around the World

DISCOVER: 10 Tips for taking the perfect food pictures on Instagram

Image @wetransfer via IG

WeTransfer says it only ever intended to use AI for content moderation – think flagging dodgy or harmful uploads – and never for training generative AI models. After the backlash, they updated the clause again “as we’ve seen this passage may have caused confusion for our customers.”

The freshly edited Clause 6.3 now says users give the platform a royalty-free licence to use their content solely “for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the Service, all in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy.” This update takes effect from 8 August.

The saga is just the latest in a growing trend – Dropbox also had to issue a clarification last year when users wrongly assumed it was using their uploads for AI training. As The Register noted at the time, the backlash shows that trust in tech companies is pretty shaky right now.

MORE: Criminals Just Need 20 Images Of Your Child, To Produce A Deep Fake

DISCOVER: 71% of people edit their selfies

Mona Schroedel, a data protection specialist at Freeths, told BBC News that terms of service changes often come with “hidden risks,” adding, “All companies are keen to cash in on the AI craze and what AI needs more than anything is data.”

She warned that users can be “placed in a difficult position” when platforms they rely on suddenly shift the rules. And with everyone racing to ride the AI wave, staying informed may be the only way to keep your data safe.