The policy states that account data is deleted within 14 days of account closure, but that certain information may be retained beyond this period as required by law or for legitimate business purposes, without specifying which data categories or retention durations apply.
This analysis describes what Medium'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 a 14-day account data deletion timeline upon account closure but includes a carve-out for retention required by law or legitimate business purposes, the scope of which is not defined in the document.
Interpretive note: The policy does not specify which data categories are retained beyond the 14-day account deletion window or the applicable retention durations, making the full scope of this provision ambiguous.
The updated policy states that Medium and its vendors may scan, analyze, and review your content, messages, AI interactions, and associated metadata. Data sharing now explicitly includes information you submitted or posted through the service, extending beyond infrastructure support to machine learning model training and improvement. The policy does not indicate an opt-out mechanism or granular user control over this specific use of content.
View change record →Under this clause, users who delete their Medium account can expect account data to be removed within 14 days, but the agreement reserves the right to retain unspecified categories of information for legal or business purposes beyond that period.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Data Retention and Account Deletion and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →"We store personal data associated with your account for as long as your account remains active. If you close your account, we will delete your account data within 14 days. We store other personal data for as long as necessary to carry out the purposes for which we originally collected it and for other legitimate business purposes, including to meet our legal, regulatory, or other compliance obligations. Please note that if you choose to delete your account, we may continue to retain certain information about you as required by law or for our legitimate business purposes.Excerpt from Medium's Privacy Policy
1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision implicates GDPR Article 5(1)(e) (storage limitation) and Article 17 (right to erasure) for EEA and UK users, as well as CCPA deletion rights for California residents.
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This provision establishes a 14-day account data deletion timeline upon account closure but includes a carve-out for retention required by law or legitimate business purposes, the scope of which is not defined in the document.
Under this clause, users who delete their Medium account can expect account data to be removed within 14 days, but the agreement reserves the right to retain unspecified categories of information for legal or business purposes beyond that period.
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