Even if something goes seriously wrong, Medium limits its legal liability and will not pay for lost profits, lost data, or other indirect losses you suffer as a result of using or being unable to use the platform.
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 clause means that if you lose income, data, or business opportunities because of a Medium platform failure or security breach, your ability to recover damages from Medium is substantially limited.
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 →Removal of this broad limitation of liability clause is replaced by the new $50 liability cap, which is more restrictive but narrower in scope.
View full change record →The provision was upgraded to all-caps formatting for emphasis, expanded with specific enumerated scenarios (A, B, C) covering service access, third-party conduct, and unauthorized access, and removed the $100 minimum liability cap.
View full change record →Writers and publishers who depend on Medium for income or audience reach have limited legal recourse for financial losses caused by platform outages, data loss, or unauthorized access to their content under this clause.
How other platforms handle this
If you knowingly misrepresent that any activity or material on our Services is infringing, you may be liable to ActiveCampaign for certain costs and damages.
A party's liability for any Liability under these Terms will be reduced proportionately to the extent the relevant Liability was caused or contributed to by the actions (or inactions) of the other party...
The Netflix service and/or some of the Netflix content may not be available at any time as a result of events beyond our reasonable control...we will not be held liable should such events occur.
"TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, MEDIUM SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM (A) YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICES; (B) ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICES; OR (C) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, USE OR ALTERATION OF YOUR CONTENT.Excerpt from Medium's Terms of Service
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Liability limitation clauses in consumer contracts are subject to reasonableness review under the FTC Act and various state consumer protection statutes.
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This clause means that if you lose income, data, or business opportunities because of a Medium platform failure or security breach, your ability to recover damages from Medium is substantially limited.
Writers and publishers who depend on Medium for income or audience reach have limited legal recourse for financial losses caused by platform outages, data loss, or unauthorized access to their content under this clause.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 287 platforms. See the full comparison.
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