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PayPal

Finance

Source-backed from PayPal Privacy Policy

196
reviewed findings
15
key findings
3
free to read here
4
verified controls

1 of them depends on where you live.

Privacy Snapshot

What the published policy covers, and how much we found under each. Tap one to read it.

  • Location 4 findings
  • Microphone & Audio 1 finding
  • Contacts 4 findings
  • Messages 2 findings
  • Biometrics 3 findings
  • Sensitive Data 9 findings
  • Tracking 14 findings
  • Advertising & Profiling 15 findings
  • Sharing 66 findings
  • Controls & Permissions 64 findings
  • Other 14 findings

3 findings, in full

The first 3 of this report’s 15 key findings, complete — claim, reasoning, and the policy’s own wording.

Sensitive Data PayPal treats your SSN, biometrics and precise location as sensitive

What this means

Its list also names tax ID numbers, government-issued identification, and bank account, routing and card information.

PayPal collects information it treats as sensitive, including your Social Security and tax ID numbers, government-issued identification, bank account and routing numbers, credit and debit card information, biometric data and precise location, with what counts as sensitive depending on the privacy law that applies where you live.

Why this matters

Sensitive is a legal category with tighter rules attached. Which details fall inside it depends on the law where you live.

What the policy says

Sensitive Personal Information : Such as Social Security and tax ID number, government-issued and other related identification, bank account and routing numbers, credit and debit card information, financial information, biometric data (as described above), or precise geolocation data, depending on applicable privacy law. In certain jurisdictions (e.g. under the GDPR), this may also be referred to as "special category information".

From PayPal Privacy Policy

Source captured on

Biometrics PayPal may collect a face scan or your voice when you consent

What this means

It names verifying your identity for account access, password recovery, profile updates, payment methods, lifting limits and cryptocurrency transfers.

PayPal may collect biometric data such as your voice, photo identification or a face scan when you consent to it during use, to verify your identity for actions such as accessing your account, recovering a password, updating your profile, managing payment methods, lifting account limits or starting a cryptocurrency transfer.

Why this matters

Biometric identifiers describe your body rather than something you chose. Unlike a password, they cannot be reset.

What the policy says

Biometric data : Such as voice identification, photo identification, or face scans, which we may collect when you consent in the user experience to authenticate you for certain actions related to your account, including, for example, to verify your identity before you access accounts and Services, recover passwords, update profile information, manage payments and payment methods, lift account limitations, and initiate cryptocurrency transfers.

From PayPal Privacy Policy

Source captured on

Biometrics PayPal keeps biometric data up to 3 years after your account closes

What this means

It keeps it for as long as needed or permitted for the purpose collected, and longer where the law requires.

PayPal keeps your biometric data for as long as needed or permitted for the purpose it was collected for, and no more than 3 years after your account closes, unless the law requires it to keep it longer.

Why this matters

Retention answers a question collection does not: how long after you leave the data is still there.

What the policy says

We retain biometric data for as long as needed or permitted given the purpose for which it was collected and no more than 3 years after your account closes, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

From PayPal Privacy Policy

Source captured on

12 more key findings a free account opens, by topic

  • Sensitive Data 4
  • Sharing 4
  • Biometrics 1
  • Controls & Permissions 1
  • Location 1
  • Tracking 1

Create a free account to read all 15

And every key finding for every company you use, with your companies saved and a dashboard of what is worth seeing across them, plus your Privacy Tune-Up. An email and a password — no card.

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Unlock the complete PayPal report

A free account opens all 15 key findings. 181 additional reviewed findings are available in the complete report.

  • Location 3 more
  • Microphone & Audio 1 more
  • Contacts 4 more
  • Messages 2 more
  • Sensitive Data 4 more
  • Tracking 13 more
  • Advertising & Profiling 15 more
  • Sharing 62 more
  • Controls & Permissions 63 more
  • Other 14 more

  • Complete report

    181 additional reviewed findings, each shown with the policy wording behind it, like the 15 above.

  • Privacy Tune-Up

    4 verified privacy controls, 2 of them high-impact — where each one is, what it changes, and what may stop working.

  • Stay protectedPlanned

    Told when the policy changes.

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Plainlyst simplifies selected disclosures from privacy policies. It does not claim to capture every statement or practice in a policy, and it is not legal advice.

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Official sources only. Every finding quotes the company’s own policy, and every record names the document behind it. We do not grade anybody.