This analysis describes what Shopify'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 commitment limits the risk of fully automated, high-stakes decisions being made about individuals without human oversight.
The updated policy changes the legal mechanism used to protect personal data when it crosses borders, but does not change where data is transferred or fundamentally alter protection levels. For EEA and Swiss users, data transfers between Shopify entities now rely on Shopify's Binding Corporate Rules (which have been approved by European data protection authorities), rather than adequacy decisions. For UK users, transfers use Standard Contractual Clauses and may rely on the adequacy decision for Canada. For transfers to third-party subprocessors, contractual commitments in the form of Standard Contractual Clauses now replace prior language referencing comparable protections. The policy states these mechanisms reflect Shopify's commitment to adequate protection, but the shift in legal instruments may have implications for how disputes or compliance issues would be evaluated under GDPR or UK data protection law.
View change record →Shopify's machine learning processes will not be both fully automated and legally or similarly significantly consequential to you.
How other platforms handle this
We use your personal information to improve and enhance our Services, including through the use of various technologies (e.g., business intelligence tools, machine learning systems, and artificial intelligence), personalize content and features to your interests and goals...
How Adobe analyzes your content using techniques such as machine learning in order to improve our Services and Software, and how to opt out of this.
Mailchimp uses a combination of automated and human detection review processes to ensure that Members are complying with our Standard Terms of Use and this Acceptable Use Policy.
"When we use machine learning, we either: (1) still have a human being involved in the process (and so are not fully automated); or (2) use machine learning in ways that don't have legal or similarly significant effects.Excerpt from Shopify's Privacy Policy
How Meta, TikTok, and Supabase restructured governance language across documents, jurisdictions, and consent frameworks through incremental document updates.
How 10 AI platforms describe the use of user data for model training, improvement, and development, based on archived governance provisions.
Get the research letter
Companies change their terms quietly. We read every version and catch what actually changed. One email a week on the changes that matter and what they mean.
This commitment limits the risk of fully automated, high-stakes decisions being made about individuals without human oversight.
Shopify's machine learning processes will not be both fully automated and legally or similarly significantly consequential to you.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 216 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Shopify.