Perplexity AI · Perplexity Acceptable Use Policy · View original document ↗

Prohibition on Unauthorized Surveillance and Data Collection

High severity High confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Unique · 0 of 343 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

You cannot use Perplexity to gather other people's personal information without permission, build stalking or tracking tools, or conduct surveillance without consent.

This analysis describes what Perplexity 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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This provision addresses AI-enabled privacy violations, including the use of generative AI to build surveillance or data harvesting tools targeting individuals without their knowledge.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Users who attempt to use Perplexity to build surveillance tools, harvest personal data, or enable stalking violate this policy; the prohibition covers both direct surveillance and tool development for those purposes.

How other platforms handle this

Ledger Medium

At Ledger, earning and maintaining our users' trust is a top priority. That's why we are deeply committed not only to protecting your privacy and securing your personal data, but also to being fully transparent about how we handle it.

Strava Medium

If we collect health information from these integrations (such as heart rate), we will not sell or use it for advertising or other similar purposes; we do not disclose it to third parties without your prior consent; and we will only use it for the specific purposes described in this Policy.

eBay Medium

We collect your personal data when you use our Services, create a new eBay account, provide us with information via a web form, add or update information in your eBay account, participate in online community discussions or otherwise interact with us.

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
You may not use the Services to collect, process, or store personal information of others without authorization, to conduct unauthorized surveillance, or to build tools designed to enable stalking, tracking, or monitoring of individuals without their knowledge and consent.

— Excerpt from Perplexity AI's Perplexity Acceptable Use Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages CCPA and CPRA in California, GDPR in the EU, and various US state consumer privacy laws, all of which restrict unauthorized collection and processing of personal information. The FTC Act's prohibition on unfair practices applies to unauthorized surveillance. State wiretapping and electronic communications laws may also apply depending on the surveillance method. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High for enterprise users who deploy Perplexity in data-intensive workflows. The provision's prohibition on 'collecting, processing, or storing personal information of others without authorization' is broadly worded and may capture certain analytics or research use cases that incidentally involve personal data. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU users face GDPR enforcement by national data protection authorities. California users are subject to CCPA and CPRA enforcement by the California Privacy Protection Agency. Illinois BIPA may apply if biometric data is involved in any surveillance use case. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Enterprises should assess whether their Perplexity deployments involve processing personal data of third parties, and if so, whether data processing agreements with Perplexity are in place and adequate under applicable privacy law. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should audit enterprise use cases to ensure no Perplexity-powered workflows collect or process personal information of individuals without appropriate legal basis and disclosure, particularly in HR, customer service, or research contexts.

Full compliance analysis

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

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC enforces against unauthorized data collection and surveillance practices as unfair or deceptive acts under the FTC Act.
    File a complaint →
  • State AG
    State attorneys general enforce CCPA, CPRA, and analogous state privacy laws that prohibit unauthorized collection and processing of personal information.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

EU AI Act
European Union
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Colorado AI Act
US-CO
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
EU AI Act - High Risk Provisions
EU
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
UK GDPR
United Kingdom
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
Perplexity Acceptable Use Policy
Entity
Perplexity AI
Document last updated
May 11, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 11, 2026
Last verified
May 11, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-010548
Document ID
CA-D-00760
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
6d664bd3ce2e23b73f26f6644d636b1fb81e00cce440e455edc0bbedcc549ceb
Analysis generated
May 11, 2026 11:44 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Perplexity AI
Document: Perplexity Acceptable Use Policy
Record ID: CA-P-010548
Captured: 2026-05-11 11:44:15 UTC
SHA-256: 6d664bd3ce2e23b7…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/perplexity-ai/perplexity-acceptable-use-policy/prohibition-on-unauthorized-surveillance-and-data-collection/
Accessed: July 4, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

Other risks in this policy

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Perplexity AI's Prohibition on Unauthorized Surveillance and Data Collection clause do?

This provision addresses AI-enabled privacy violations, including the use of generative AI to build surveillance or data harvesting tools targeting individuals without their knowledge.

How does this clause affect you?

Users who attempt to use Perplexity to build surveillance tools, harvest personal data, or enable stalking violate this policy; the prohibition covers both direct surveillance and tool development for those purposes.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Perplexity AI?

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