What are the institutional and regulatory implications of this document?

REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The policy engages the EU AI Act, which imposes prohibitions on certain AI applications including real-time biometric identification, emotion recognition in regulated contexts, and AI-generated content used for manipulation; Runway's prohibitions on deepfakes and synthetic media intended to deceive align directionally with EU AI Act requirements but the policy does not explicitly reference compliance with specific EU AI Act articles. The FTC Act is engaged by provisions on…

How does Runway's Runway Usage Policy affect users?

The policy establishes prohibited use categories that define permissible applications of Runway's generative tools. Users are required to obtain Runway's written consent before using AI-generated outputs as training data for other AI models. Account suspension or termination serves as the enforcement mechanism for violations of these restrictions.

How often is Runway's Runway Usage Policy updated?

ConductAtlas monitors this document daily and captures every version with cryptographic hashing and timestamp verification. Update frequency varies — see the change timeline on this page for complete version history.

Can I get alerted when Runway updates this document?

Yes. Monitor subscribers ($19/month) can add Runway to their watchlist and receive same-day email alerts whenever this document or any other Runway document changes.

CA-D-000773

Runway Usage Policy

Runway

Last change detected May 11, 2026 Acceptable use policy

SHA-256: 2bf638fcdea730b5a11… 2 versions captured 1 change documented

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This page describes what the document states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability may vary by jurisdiction. Methodology

8 Total

3 High severity

5 Medium severity

0 Low severity

Summary

This document establishes Runway's acceptable use policy governing content generation across its AI video, image, and audio tools. The policy prohibits specified content categories including sexual content involving minors, non-consensual intimate imagery, deepfakes intended to deceive, and content facilitating real-world violence. The terms also restrict the use of Runway-generated outputs to train other AI models without Runway's written authorization, and authorize Runway to suspend or terminate accounts for policy violations.

Technical / Legal Breakdown

This document is Runway's Usage Policy (last updated March 6, 2026), governing acceptable use of Runway's AI-powered creative tools and platform, operating in conjunction with Runway's Standard Terms of Use and Enterprise Agreement. The policy states that users must not use the platform to generate content depicting minors in sexual contexts, facilitate violence or terrorism, produce non-consensual intimate imagery, create targeted harassment, generate deceptive synthetic media (deepfakes) intended to deceive, or enable mass surveillance; the terms also prohibit automated scraping, reverse engineering, and use of outputs to train competing AI models without written consent. The prohibition on using Runway outputs to train competing AI systems without written consent is operationally distinct in that it asserts a post-generation restriction on output use, the enforceability of which may vary depending on applicable copyright law and the jurisdiction's treatment of AI-generated content ownership. The policy engages the EU AI Act, which classifies certain AI applications (including emotion recognition, biometric categorization, and real-time remote biometric identification) as high-risk or prohibited; it also engages FTC Act standards regarding deceptive practices, particularly given provisions on synthetic media and impersonation. Material compliance considerations include age verification obligations under COPPA and equivalent frameworks for any minor-adjacent content generation, and obligations under emerging state-level deepfake and synthetic media statutes in jurisdictions such as California, Texas, and Virginia.

Institutional Analysis

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1 important change detected

2 versions captured · Last updated: May 2026

May 11, 2026

low

What changed Runway updated its Usage Policy on May 11, 2026 by adding a detailed table of contents that explicitly lists specific content categories the platform prohibits or restricts. The prior version opened with the mission statement without itemizing prohibited content categories. The updated policy now prominently displays categories including Children's Safety, Violence & Gore, Sexually Explicit Content & Nudity, Hateful Conduct, Harassment and Self-Harm, Content that May Violate the Rights of Others, Misleading Content, and policies for Character & Game Worlds. This change makes the policy's content restrictions more discoverable and organized for users reviewing what the platform permits.

Why this matters The updated policy makes content restrictions more transparent by organizing them into a searchable table of contents. Users can now more easily locate specific content categories the platform prohibits, such as violence, sexually explicit content, hateful conduct, and misleading material. The substantive content restrictions themselves appear unchanged; this change reorganizes how they are presented and accessed.

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High — 3 provisions

Prohibition on Synthetic Media and Deepfakes Intended to Deceive Compare →

You cannot use Runway to make fake videos or images of real people that are designed to trick people into thinking they are real, or to impersonate someone without their permission.

Added May 11, 2026 Common Seen across 133 platforms
Prohibition on Child Sexual Abuse Material and Minor Sexual Content Compare →

It is absolutely prohibited to use Runway to create any sexual images, videos, or other content involving minors.

Added May 11, 2026 Common Seen across 133 platforms
Prohibition on Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery Compare →

You cannot use Runway to create fake sexual images or videos of real people without their consent, including AI-generated intimate content that uses a real person's likeness.

Added May 11, 2026 Common Seen across 133 platforms

Medium — 5 provisions

Prohibition on Using Outputs to Train Competing AI Models Compare →

You cannot take videos, images, or other content created by Runway's AI and use them to build or improve a competing AI product, unless Runway gives you written permission first.

Added May 11, 2026 Standard Seen across 242 platforms
Account Suspension and Termination for Policy Violations Compare →

Runway can suspend or permanently close your account if it decides you have broken the rules in this policy or the main terms of service, and this decision is made at Runway's sole discretion.

Added May 11, 2026 Standard Seen across 179 platforms
Prohibition on Automated Scraping and Reverse Engineering Compare →

You cannot use bots or automated programs to bulk-collect content from Runway, and you cannot try to figure out how Runway's AI models work by reverse-engineering them.

Added May 11, 2026 Standard Seen across 242 platforms
Prohibition on Violence, Terrorism, and Mass Casualty Content Compare →

You cannot use Runway to make content that supports, celebrates, or helps plan acts of terrorism, mass violence, or genocide.

Added May 11, 2026 Common Seen across 133 platforms
Prohibition on Mass Surveillance Content Compare →

You cannot use Runway's AI tools to help build surveillance systems that track people without their knowledge or consent, or that target protected groups.

Added May 11, 2026 Common Seen across 170 platforms