This analysis describes what Square'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
Retention is not limited to the duration of an active account; data may be kept after account closure for legal, enforcement, and fraud-related purposes, potentially for an extended and indeterminate period.
Interpretive note: The excerpt trails off and likely contains additional stated purposes not captured here; the canonical claim uses the listed examples present in the excerpt and does not assert the list is exhaustive.
The updated terms establish explicit authorization for Square to share your account data, usage data, and commercial information (including customer directory data, customer transaction data, and employee/staff data) with other account holders within your merchant group, where you have elected to share this information or been notified. The account holder may use this information for group management, consolidated reporting, operational oversight, and business performance analysis. The terms also clarify that your mobile phone number provided for text messaging will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes, and that consent records for text messages will not be shared except with service providers assisting with message delivery. You can review the Square for Multi-Legal Entities Terms of Service for additional details on how data is handled within merchant groups.
View change record →The updated privacy notice discloses that Square collects personal data (name, job title, email, company name) and behavioral data (which compliance documents you view, how you interact with the Trust Center portal) when you visit Square's Trust Center to access compliance documentation. The terms state Square uses this engagement data to identify and prioritize sales opportunities and may follow up with relevant sales outreach based on which compliance documents you have viewed. This means your compliance research activity is tracked and may be used to inform sales contact decisions.
View change record →Square is permitted to retain user information beyond the life of an active relationship, for as long as any of the stated purposes remain applicable.
How other platforms handle this
We may continue to retain some information even after you delete your account if we are required to do so in order to comply with applicable laws.
We retain personal information about you for the time necessary to fulfill the purpose for which that information was collected, usually for the duration of any contractual relationship and for any period thereafter as legally required or permitted by law.
We retain your account information for as long as your account is active and up to 15 days thereafter.
"We store your information for as long as is necessary for the purposes identified in this Privacy Notice, including to provide our Services, to comply with legal obligations, to enforce and prevent violations of our Terms of Services, to protect against fraudulent activity...Excerpt from Square's Privacy Notice
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Retention is not limited to the duration of an active account; data may be kept after account closure for legal, enforcement, and fraud-related purposes, potentially for an extended and indeterminate period.
Square is permitted to retain user information beyond the life of an active relationship, for as long as any of the stated purposes remain applicable.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 268 platforms. See the full comparison.
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