What can I do about this clause?

{'method': 'IN_APP', 'recipient': 'Steam Client > Settings > Interface', 'difficulty': 'MODERATE', 'action_type': 'OPT_OUT_ARBITRATION', 'instructions': 'Open the Steam client, go to Settings, then select the Interface section. Turn off the automatic loading of the Steam store page and Steam notifications to prevent your data being used for personalized content recommendations.', 'deadline_days': None, 'deadline_hours': None}

Which regulatory agencies enforce this type of clause?

{'agency': 'FTC', 'reason': 'The FTC has enforcement authority over deceptive opt-out mechanisms and unfair profiling practices for commercial recommendations under FTC Act Section 5.', 'complaint_url': 'https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/'}

What is the severity of this clause?

ConductAtlas classifies this Content Recommendations and Behavioral Profiling clause as high severity. Severity reflects the magnitude of rights affected, the breadth of users impacted, and the degree of discretion the platform retains.

Content Recommendations and Behavioral Profiling — Steam

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What it is

Steam uses your collected personal data to build a personalized profile and recommend content, products, and offers to you every time you use the platform or launch the Steam client. You can turn this off in the Steam client's Interface settings.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Steam defaults to behavioral profiling of all users for commercial content recommendations, and opting out requires navigating to the Interface section of Steam Client Settings — a non-obvious location that most users would not discover without reading this policy carefully.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.

Opt Out of Arbitration

Open the Steam client, go to Settings, then select the Interface section. Turn off the automatic loading of the Steam store page and Steam notifications to prevent your data being used for personalized content recommendations.

Cross-platform context

See how other platforms handle Content Recommendations and Behavioral Profiling and similar clauses.

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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

Behavioral profiling for commercial recommendations is one of the most sensitive uses of personal data under GDPR — it is subject to special restrictions and opt-out rights — and Steam's default is to profile all users unless they actively find and disable a setting buried in client preferences.

View original clause language

We may process information collected under this section 3 so that content, products and services shown on the pages of the Steam store and in update messages displayed when launching the Steam Client can be tailored to meet your needs and populated with relevant recommendations and offers. This is done to improve your customer experience. You can prevent the processing of your data in this way by turning off the automatic loading of the Steam store page and of Steam notifications in the "Interface" section of the Steam Client Settings.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: Behavioral profiling for commercial purposes engages GDPR Art. 22 (automated decision-making and profiling), Art. 21(2) (right to object to profiling for direct marketing, which must be honored without exception), and Recital 70. The legal basis for profiling is typically Art. 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests) or Art. 6(1)(a) (consent), with EDPB Guidelines 03/2022 on dark patterns directly applicable to opt-out mechanisms that are difficult to locate. CCPA §1798.120 may classify personalized advertising as 'sale' requiring an opt-out.

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Applicable agencies

FTC

The FTC has enforcement authority over deceptive opt-out mechanisms and unfair profiling practices for commercial recommendations under FTC Act Section 5.
File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information

Document

Steam Privacy Policy

Entity

Steam

Document last updated

April 29, 2026

Tracking information

First tracked

April 18, 2026

Last verified

April 18, 2026

Record ID

CA-P-002933

Document ID

CA-D-00182

Evidence Provenance

Source URL

https://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/

Wayback Machine

View archived versions →

SHA-256

63210b28892392d9dae07097221e6ab8458f850d4edd68ce4be0bc540f120bb5

Verified

✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Change verified

How to Cite

ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Steam | Document: Steam Privacy Policy | Record: CA-P-002933
Captured: 2026-04-18 10:57:26 UTC | SHA-256: 63210b28892392d9…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/steam/steam-privacy-policy/content-recommendations-and-behavioral-profiling/
Accessed: May 2, 2026

Classification

Severity

High

Content Recommendations and Behavioral Profiling