If you have a legal dispute with Medium, you must resolve it through individual arbitration rather than a court case, and you give up your right to join a class action lawsuit with other users.
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
Class action waivers significantly limit users' practical ability to pursue small or medium-sized claims, since the cost of individual arbitration often exceeds the value of what any single user might recover.
The updated terms establish that Medium may stop providing the Services or any of its features within its sole discretion. The prior language focused on subscription account sign-up mechanics; the new provision creates an explicit contractual reservation allowing Medium to discontinue platform features or the entire service without conditions tied to a specific event or timeline. The terms do not specify advance notice requirements, transition periods, or user remedies if the service is discontinued.
View change record →The updated terms expand a data collection warranty to apply to all personal information users provide to Medium, not limited to newsletter editor submissions. Users now represent and warrant that any personal information they submit has been lawfully collected and that all required notices and consents were obtained before collection. This means the warranty applies whether data is provided through newsletters, account profiles, submissions, or other Medium features. If a user provides personal information collected without proper notice or consent, they may be in breach of this representation.
View change record →The provision was simplified and restructured with emphasis shifted to explicit all-caps language reinforcing individual-capacity-only claims and removal of opt-out language references.
View full change record →This clause means that if Medium wrongs you financially or otherwise, you cannot band together with other affected users in a class action lawsuit, and your only recourse is individual arbitration, which can be costly and less accessible than court proceedings.
How other platforms handle this
If, however, this Class Action Waiver is deemed invalid or unenforceable with respect to a particular Dispute...neither you nor Chegg will be entitled to arbitration of such Dispute.
the arbitration provider, National Arbitration and Mediation ("NAM"), shall not accept or administer any demand for arbitration and shall administratively close any arbitration unless the Party bringing such demand for arbitration can certify in writing that the terms...were fully satisfied.
Neither you nor we may elect arbitration of any claims seeking only individualized relief asserted by you or us in small claims court, so long as the action remains in that court and is not removed or appealed de novo...
"You and Medium agree to resolve any disputes through final and binding arbitration, except as set forth under Exceptions to Agreement to Arbitrate below. YOU AND MEDIUM AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.Excerpt from Medium's Terms of Service
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Mandatory arbitration clauses and class action waivers in consumer contracts are subject to scrutiny under the FTC Act and have been subject to rulemaking efforts at the CFPB, though the CFPB's 2017 …
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Coinbase's User Agreement includes a mandatory arbitration clause that most users may not have reviewed. Here is what the clause states and how the opt-out process works.
561 arbitration provisions across 197 platforms. ConductAtlas tracks how dispute resolution is being restructured across the internet.
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Class action waivers significantly limit users' practical ability to pursue small or medium-sized claims, since the cost of individual arbitration often exceeds the value of what any single user might recover.
This clause means that if Medium wrongs you financially or otherwise, you cannot band together with other affected users in a class action lawsuit, and your only recourse is individual arbitration, which can be costly and less accessible than court proceedings.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 205 platforms. See the full comparison.
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