Cursor · Cursor Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Data Retention Policy

Medium severity Medium confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Common · 65 of 325 platforms
Share 𝕏 Share in Share 🔒 PDF
Monitor governance changes for Cursor Create a free account to receive the weekly governance digest and monitor one platform for governance changes.
Create free account No credit card required.
Document Record

What it is

Cursor keeps your data for as long as needed to run the service and meet legal obligations, with no specific timeframes stated. Some data not visible in your history may still be retained for safety and monitoring purposes.

This analysis describes what Cursor'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)

The clause defines the framework governing how long personal data persists within Anysphere's systems, with retention periods tied to specific operational and legal justifications rather than indefinite storage. This establishes conditions under which data deletion or non-retention occurs, affecting the temporal scope of data governance.

Interpretive note: Specific retention periods are not stated for any data category; whether the qualitative description satisfies GDPR Article 13/14 or CCPA disclosure requirements depends on regulatory interpretation.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Retention periods are not specified numerically in this policy; the document states retention depends on purpose, sensitivity, and legal requirements. Data not appearing in a user's history may still be retained for safety and monitoring purposes.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Delete Your Data
    Email hi@cursor.com to request deletion of your personal data or to inquire about specific retention periods applicable to your account data.

How other platforms handle this

OpenAI Medium

We retain personal data for as long as needed to provide our services, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our policies. Retention periods will vary depending on the type of data and the purposes for which we use it.

Microsoft Azure Medium

Microsoft retains personal data for as long as necessary to provide the products and fulfill the transactions you have requested, or for other legitimate purposes such as complying with our legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our agreements. Because these needs can vary for differen...

Meta Ads Medium

We keep information as long as we need it to provide our products and services and fulfil the purposes described in this policy. This is a case-by-case determination that depends on things like the nature of the information, why it is collected and processed, relevant legal or operational retention ...

See all platforms with this clause type →

Monitoring

Cursor has changed this document before.

Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 10 platforms.

Start Watcher free trial Or create a free account →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Anysphere retains your personal data only for as long as necessary to operate the Service effectively and to support legitimate business needs such as legal compliance, safety, dispute resolution, and enforcement of our agreements. The appropriate retention period varies depending on the purpose for which the personal data was collected, its sensitivity, potential risks associated with its use or exposure, and any applicable legal requirements. Your settings may also influence how long we keep certain types of data. For instance, some temporary interactions with the Service may not appear in your history and could be stored for a limited duration for purposes related to safety and system monitoring.

— Excerpt from Cursor's Cursor Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages GDPR Article 5(1)(e) storage limitation principle, which requires that personal data be kept no longer than necessary for the stated purpose. CCPA does not prescribe specific retention periods but requires disclosure of retention practices. The FTC has examined data retention as part of broader privacy enforcement. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The policy does not specify retention periods for any data category, which is a transparency gap under GDPR's Article 13/14 requirements. The caveat that non-visible interactions may be retained for safety and monitoring is a material disclosure, as it indicates that user-facing history controls do not reflect the complete data retention picture. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EEA and UK organizations should assess whether the absence of specific retention periods is adequate for GDPR transparency obligations. California's CCPA requires disclosure of retention periods or the criteria used to determine them; a qualitative description without specific timelines may not fully satisfy this requirement. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Enterprise customers should negotiate specific data retention schedules and deletion timelines in their customer agreements, particularly for Inputs and Suggestions containing sensitive code or business information. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should submit data subject requests to test actual retention practices against policy statements. Organizations should assess whether safety and monitoring retention of non-visible interactions is compatible with their own data minimization obligations to their customers.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

Track 1 platform — free Try Watcher free for 14 days

Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Watcher: 10 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has authority over deceptive or unfair data retention practices, including retention of data users may reasonably believe has been removed.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN

Provision details

Document information
Document
Cursor Privacy Policy
Entity
Cursor
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 7, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-011606
Document ID
CA-D-00452
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
1e5849a4a5fbaa739f760d04f8a003ee1ec366c9f4216cb1cb0ea9b8cf9d01f3
Analysis generated
May 7, 2026 17:01 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Cursor
Document: Cursor Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-011606
Captured: 2026-05-07 17:01:07 UTC
SHA-256: 1e5849a4a5fbaa73…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/cursor/cursor-privacy-policy/data-retention-policy/
Accessed: May 20, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

Other risks in this policy

Professional Governance Intelligence

Need to monitor specific governance provisions?

Professional includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.

Arbitration clauses AI governance Data rights Indemnification Retention policies
Start Professional free trial

Or start with Watcher →

Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Cursor's Data Retention Policy clause do?

The clause defines the framework governing how long personal data persists within Anysphere's systems, with retention periods tied to specific operational and legal justifications rather than indefinite storage. This establishes conditions under which data deletion or non-retention occurs, affecting the temporal scope of data governance.

How does this clause affect you?

Retention periods are not specified numerically in this policy; the document states retention depends on purpose, sensitivity, and legal requirements. Data not appearing in a user's history may still be retained for safety and monitoring purposes.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 65 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Cursor?

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