After going through popular audio-only social media app Clubhouse’s Privacy Policy, Inc.‘s Jason Aten has discovered that the platform not only records every conversation that takes place on it, but there’s also a number of other red flags.
According to the app’s Privacy Policy, it records all conversations that take place inside its rooms, but only retains the recordings if a user within the room reports a Trust and Safety violation. Where the recordings go or who listens to them while the report is investigated is not specified.
Clubhouse works like an old-timey “exclusive” club — you have to be invited to the platform by someone who’s already a member and has you in their contacts.
Members are urged to share their entire contacts list with Clubhouse, which means that the platform can get your name, number, and some other information without you having directly given it to them. In addition, this information cannot be deleted.
Even though Clubhouse isn’t currently monetized, the platform uses cookies, pixels, and other tracking technologies to track what you do on Clubhouse and across the web. The Privacy Policy also indicates that Clubhouse has every intention of monetizing the app in the future, most likely through advertising and sponsorship systems.
Getting out of Clubhouse is just as hard as getting into it, as the app offers no options or instructions to permanently delete your account.
If you want to remove yourself from the platform, you have to send an email to support@alphaexplorationco.com, make a request for account deletion, and wait for your request to be acted upon.
Lastly, Clubhouse’s Privacy Policy clearly states that they “may share Personal Data with [their] current and future affiliates”, and may do so without your knowledge.
With appearances from Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and a number of other celebrities, Clubhouse’s popularity has skyrocketed. The app currently sits at well over 4.7 million downloads — good enough for Facebook to start planning on making a clone.
