If you create an AI character that other users interact with and make it public, Character.AI may keep that character active on the platform even after you delete your account and personal data.
This analysis describes what Character.AI'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
This provision establishes that shared user-generated content becomes subject to separate retention and operational authority once made available to other users. The clause creates a distinction between deletable account data and the preserved characteristics of publicly available characters, requiring the company to maintain service continuity for content accessed by other users.
Users who build public characters risk having personally identifying information embedded in those characters retained by Character.AI even after account closure, potentially without full transparency about what is kept.
How other platforms handle this
Affirm will retain your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and any applicable state or federal law, rule or regulation.
search engines and other third-parties may still retain copies of your public information, such as any posts and comments you made in the Webull Community, even after you have deleted the information from the Services...
Your posts and certain profile information may remain even after you terminate your account. We urge you to consider the sensitivity of any information you may disclose in this way.
"If a Character you create has been made available to other users, then we reserve the right to preserve that Character's characteristics and to keep that Character active on the Services, even if you otherwise delete your data and your account.Excerpt from Character.AI's Privacy Policy
This provision raises significant data subject rights exposure under GDPR Article 17 (right to erasure), as retention of user-created content post-deletion request may not satisfy the 'necessary' exception without further legal basis documentation.
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
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This provision establishes that shared user-generated content becomes subject to separate retention and operational authority once made available to other users. The clause creates a distinction between deletable account data and the preserved characteristics of publicly available characters, requiring the company to maintain service continuity for content accessed by other users.
Users who build public characters risk having personally identifying information embedded in those characters retained by Character.AI even after account closure, potentially without full transparency about what is kept.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 275 platforms. See the full comparison.
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