Substack · Substack Terms of Use · View original document ↗

User Indemnification of Substack and Affiliates

High severity Medium confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Common · 229 of 352 platforms
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This analysis describes what Substack'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)

The indemnification obligation requires users to bear the financial cost of defending and satisfying claims brought against Substack and its associated parties, including consequential damages—the same category excluded from Substack's own liability to users.

Interpretive note: The excerpt appears to be a partial quotation and likely contains conditions or triggers for the indemnification obligation (such as 'arising out of' specific user conduct) that are not present in the provided text. The canonical claim is limited strictly to what the excerpt states. The omitted triggering conditions are noted here.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Users are required to cover any and all claims, liabilities, actual and consequential damages, losses, and expenses incurred by Substack, its affiliates, officers, agents, employees, and partners.

How other platforms handle this

Tabnine Medium

Any claim that any user submission made by you has caused damage to a third party

Upwork Medium

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Upwork, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses...arising from: (i) your use of Upwork Now in violation of this Beta Addendum or applicable law...

Instacart Medium

Any access to or use of the Services or goods through your account by others, including your spouse, dependents, Recipients, and any access by AI Agents you enable or that operate on your behalf...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
you agree to indemnify and hold Substack, its affiliates, officers, agents, employees, and partners harmless from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages (actual and consequential), losses and expenses...

— Excerpt from Substack's Substack Terms of Use

Applicable regulations

FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
Substack Terms of Use
Entity
Substack
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 21, 2026
Last verified
May 21, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-029419
Document ID
CA-D-00177
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
d2d135642274ee5eac38277ac41a146ef9980ab32b5eaa9fe939658be5f65972
Analysis generated
May 21, 2026 01:31 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Substack
Document: Substack Terms of Use
Record ID: CA-P-029419
Captured: 2026-05-21 01:31:22 UTC
SHA-256: d2d135642274ee5e…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/substack/substack-terms-of-use/provision/CA-P-029419/user-indemnification-of-substack-and-affiliates/
Accessed: July 12, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Substack's User Indemnification of Substack and Affiliates clause do?

The indemnification obligation requires users to bear the financial cost of defending and satisfying claims brought against Substack and its associated parties, including consequential damages—the same category excluded from Substack's own liability to users.

How does this clause affect you?

Users are required to cover any and all claims, liabilities, actual and consequential damages, losses, and expenses incurred by Substack, its affiliates, officers, agents, employees, and partners.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 229 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Substack?

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