On Monday, WeTransfer faced severe criticism after updating its Terms of Service, appearing to grant the cloud-based transfer service broad rights to use users-uploaded files for AI training, forcing users to seek WeTransfer alternatives, and the company to hastily remove the contentious language.
The backlash erupted when users flagged changes in Section 6.3 of the WeTransfer data terms, set to take effect on August 8. The section included a clause giving the company a “perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transfer large files securely, sub-licensable license” to use uploaded content for “developing, commercializing, and improving” services, including “performance of machine learning models.”
In layman’s terms, the update suggested that the file-transfer company could use user content—such as artwork or media files—to train AI systems and even create derivative works for commercial use without compensating the original creators. This received immediate criticism, specifically from creative industries, as it could open the door for other sites like WeTransfer to follow suit.
Post-production professional, Ashley Lynch, highlighted on Bluesky that the terms could conflict with non-disclosure agreements many professionals hold with clients, questioning the validity of secure file-sharing solutions from agencies, galleries, and institutions relying on WeTransfer for sensitive digital transfers.
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/wetransfer-changes-terms-licensing-rights-ai-1234747368
Company Clarifies Position, Removes AI References
In response to the outcry, the Amsterdam-based company has revised the language in its terms and publicly clarified that it does not use user content to train AI models. Users online demand others to seek WeTransfer alternatives and drop the company’s services completely.
“We don’t use machine learning or any form of AI to process content shared via WeTransfer,” a company spokesperson told ARTnews, explaining the language was originally intended to cover AI-powered WeTransfer content moderation tools, designed to filter harmful or illegal materials.
“The passage under discussion was initially updated to include the possibility of using AI to improve content moderation,” the spokesperson said, adding, “With that said, members of the art community using WeTransfer can rest assured that we do not use their content to train machine learning models.”
Acknowledging the confusion, WeTransfer alternatives have now replaced the clause with a narrower license. According to the updated terms, users grant the company a “royalty-free license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the Service,” explicitly referencing its Privacy & Cookie Policy.
Founded in 2009 and acquired by Italian tech company Bending Spoons in 2023, WeTransfer is widely used by creative professionals to share high-resolution content for its file-sharing features.
A WeTransfer secure alternative could de-escalate tensions between tech companies deploying AI and users concerned about controlling their digital intellectual property.
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