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
The class action waiver prevents users from pooling claims, which is often the only economically viable path to challenging low-dollar or widespread harms caused by a platform.
The updated terms establish new content moderation procedures, including use of automated detection tools (hash-matching for CSAM, keyword filtering, direct message scanning) followed by human review before enforcement action, except where immediate action is necessary to prevent serious harm. Substack will notify users when content is removed or accounts are suspended for policy or safety reasons, unless notification would compromise an investigation or risk harm. Users may appeal content removal or account restrictions by contacting tos@substackinc.com, with Substack committing to respond within 3 business days. Beginning December 1, 2026, local VAT, GST, sales, or use tax will be added to Paid Subscription purchase prices, collected by Substack and remitted to applicable taxing authorities where its service provider is able to do so. You can report content violations using the report tool on each post or profile page, and appeal content moderation decisions by contacting the support email address.
View change record →Users cannot bring or join class actions, consolidated cases, or representative proceedings against Substack; all claims must be pursued individually.
How other platforms handle this
if a court decides that any of the provisions in the Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions...is invalid or unenforceable because it would prevent the exercise of a non-waivable right to pursue public injunctive relief...
13.4 If any part of terms of this Section 12 is found to be illegal or unenforceable, the remainder will remain in effect, except that if a finding of partial illegality or unenforceability would allow class arbitration, class action, or representative action, this entire dispute resolution section ...
If, after exhaustion of all appeals, any of these prohibitions...are found to be unenforceable with respect to a particular claim or request for relief...then such a claim or request for relief will be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction...
"you and Substack Inc agree that all claims against the other can only be brought in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, consolidated, or other representative proceeding.Excerpt from Substack's Terms of Use
Coinbase's User Agreement includes a mandatory arbitration clause that most users may not have reviewed. Here is what the clause states and how the opt-out process works.
561 arbitration provisions across 197 platforms. ConductAtlas tracks how dispute resolution is being restructured across the internet.
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The class action waiver prevents users from pooling claims, which is often the only economically viable path to challenging low-dollar or widespread harms caused by a platform.
Users cannot bring or join class actions, consolidated cases, or representative proceedings against Substack; all claims must be pursued individually.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 197 platforms. See the full comparison.
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