The Arduino Terms of Service and Privacy Policy update: setting the record straight

We’ve heard some questions and concerns following our recent Terms of Service and Privacy Policy updates. We’re grateful that our community cares enough to join us and we believe transparency and open dialogue are fundamental to Arduino.

Let’s be very clear: we’ve been open-source long before it was fashionable. We are not going to change now. The Qualcomm acquisition does not modify how user data is handled or how we enforce our open-source principles.

We update our legal documents from time to time to reflect new features, evolving regulations and best practices.

the one who remains the same

• Open source and reverse-engineeringAny hardware, software or services released with an open source license (for example the Arduino IDE, hardware schematics, tooling and libraries) will remain available as before, Restrictions on reverse-engineering specifically apply to our Software-as-a-Service cloud applications, Whatever was open, remains open,
• Ownership of your creations. The Terms of Service make clear that the content you choose to publish on the Arduino platform remains yours, and can be used to enable features you request, such as cloud services and collaboration tools.
• Data and privacy of minors. Our privacy disclosures have been strengthened, including enhanced protections for the data of minors. We have updated our data retention policies and age limits to provide age-appropriate services. We limit data retention of inactive users by automatically deactivating their accounts after 24 months of inactivity, in which case usernames will still be preserved in the Arduino Forum to address an explicit request from the forum community to maintain attribution for user-generated content; Where a user requests account deletion, the username will be immediately deleted and associated posts will be anonymised.

Why we updated our terms: clarity and compliance

These latest changes are about Supporting an environment of clarity, compliance, and innovation you expect.

Here’s what the updates actually cover:

• Increased transparency around data practices: We have made our privacy disclosure more accurate and more detailed to protect your privacy, including what data we retain.
• New Product Capabilities and AI: As we introduce optional AI-powered features, such as in Arduino UNO Q and Arduino App Lab, we need to update our terms to reflect these new capabilities and encourage their safe, responsible, and ethical use.
• More precise business terms: For users of our premium services, we have clarified the billing process, recurring payments and refund rights to make purchases and returns easier.
• legal compliance: We have updated the language to address US-specific privacy laws, export controls, and other regulatory requirements while ensuring compliance with global standards.

Our 20-year commitment to open source is unwavering

We are very proud of the Arduino community, and we want to reaffirm our fundamental, non-negotiable commitment to the principles upon which Arduino was founded.

Please read the full Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to learn how they support the innovative, collaborative environment you expect.

If you have specific questions or concerns, please consult us Detailed FAQs in our FAQ section or contact us privacy@arduino.cc,

We are Arduino. We are open. we’re going nowhere.