Provision record
Betterment · Betterment Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Sensitive Personal Information Collection

High severity Common · 296 of 352 platforms
Stay ahead of the changes
Track Betterment and get the diff the day its terms change.
Share 𝕏 Share in Share 🔒 PDF
Document Record

What it is

Betterment collects sensitive categories of personal information, which may include Social Security numbers, financial account details, and other identifiers required for financial services.

This analysis describes what Betterment's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This provision establishes the scope of sensitive data categories that Betterment's identity verification procedures are authorized to collect as part of account onboarding and verification processes. The use of third-party identity verification services (Socure) creates data handling obligations across multiple entities.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Jul 1, 2026

The updated policy discloses a new Fully Paid Securities Lending program through Apex Clearing, under which Betterment will share customer personal information and account details with Apex if customers choose to participate. The revised terms also establish that generative AI service providers have committed that personal information will not be used for model training. For customers participating in promotional offers requiring offline fulfillment, the policy now explicitly states that personal information including mailing address may be shared with third-party partners. You can review the FPSL Program supplemental disclosures for details about the securities lending arrangement, or choose not to participate in the program.

View change record →

Clause Stability Mostly Stable

1
Change
5
Months Monitored
Apr 3, 2026
First Seen
Apr 17, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 4187 other provisions on other platforms.
This clause has changed once in 5 months of monitoring.

Change history

modified Jul 1, 2026

Renamed from 'Sensitive Personal Information Collection' (high severity) to 'Sensitive Financial Data Collection' (medium severity), with addition of concrete examples of identifiers and financial data collected.

View full change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Your most sensitive personal and financial data is held by Betterment, and understanding how it is secured and with whom it is shared is important for assessing your personal risk exposure.

How other platforms handle this

ZipRecruiter Medium

You may give us your Identity Data, Contact Data, Financial Data, Profile Data, and other information by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, e-mail or otherwise.

Instacart Medium

you may refer a friend to Instacart or send an Instacart gift delivery or gift card to someone. In these cases, we collect the recipient's name, email, and delivery address, as applicable.

Anthropic Medium

We collect information about your use of the Services, such as the dates and times of access, browsing history, search, information about the links you click and about third-party applications...

See all platforms with this clause type →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Betterment conducts identity verification through Socure, which may also require the collection of facial images, such as headshots from your identification card and selfie photographs. Sensitive Personal Information - Government-issued identifiers (such as Social Security number and driver's license), financial account numbers in combination with login credentials, and facial images used for identification.

Excerpt from Betterment's Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (regulatory & governance intelligence)

Collection of sensitive personal information under CPRA triggers additional obligations including limited use requirements and the right for consumers to restrict its processing.

Insight

Unlock the full institutional analysis

Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.

Applicable agencies

  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (cfpb)
    Regulates consumer financial products and services. Can investigate companies for unfair, deceptive, or abusive financial practices including improper fees, billing errors, and data misuse.
    Who can file: Anyone who has used a consumer financial product or service in the US
    What you need: Account number or details, dates of transactions or events, description of the issue, and any supporting documents
    What to expect: The company must respond within 15 days. The CFPB forwards your complaint and may use it in enforcement actions. Individual compensation is possible in some cases.
    File a complaint →
  • Federal Trade Commission (ftc)
    Oversees unfair or deceptive business practices and can investigate companies that mislead consumers about data collection, sharing, or use.
    Who can file: Anyone affected by the company's practices (US or international)
    What you need: Your account details, a timeline of relevant events, and a description of the specific issue
    What to expect: Complaints inform FTC enforcement priorities and investigations but do not result in individual resolution or compensation
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
FCRA
United States Federal
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GLBA
United States Federal
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
Betterment Privacy Policy
Entity
Betterment
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 20, 2026
Last verified
March 20, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-001118
Document ID
CA-D-00212
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
0f2110f14291cf686bc8bd3141eab2a3228c5db82a5b1a6f096668a1bee8fbf8
Analysis generated
March 20, 2026 11:15 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Betterment
Document: Betterment Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-001118
Captured: 2026-03-20 11:15:44 UTC
SHA-256: 0f2110f14291cf68…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/betterment/betterment-privacy-policy/provision/CA-P-001118/sensitive-personal-information-collection/
Accessed: Sept. 8, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

Other risks in this policy

Related Analysis

Get the research letter

Companies change their terms quietly. We read every version and catch what actually changed. One email a week on the changes that matter and what they mean.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Betterment's Sensitive Personal Information Collection clause do?

This provision establishes the scope of sensitive data categories that Betterment's identity verification procedures are authorized to collect as part of account onboarding and verification processes. The use of third-party identity verification services (Socure) creates data handling obligations across multiple entities.

How does this clause affect you?

Your most sensitive personal and financial data is held by Betterment, and understanding how it is secured and with whom it is shared is important for assessing your personal risk exposure.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 296 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Betterment?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Betterment.