How to disable PayPal data sharing which begins November 27, 2024

Starting November 27, 2024, PayPal is rolling out a change that might surprise a lot of users. In an email sent to U.S. users, PayPal announced that it will start sharing personal data with merchants to “enhance” your shopping experience. Naturally, this raised quite a few eyebrows.

One user on BlueSky highlighted this change, stating that PayPal is “banking on people not knowing to opt out.” While some users might not mind, others prefer to keep their data private. If you’re in the latter group, there’s a way to stop PayPal from sharing your info—but you have to act before the update takes effect.

PayPal is updating their ToS to let themselves give your data to merchants starting in November and they’re certainly banking on people not knowing to opt out, SO to opt out before they start:

go to Settings > Data & Privacy > Manage shared info > Personalized shopping, and toggle that shit off

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— Kengo (@rockheadkengo.bsky.social) September 29, 2024 at 8:57 PM

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s happening and how you can opt out.

What’s going on?

The gist is this: starting late November, PayPal plans to share data—like your purchases and preferences—with merchants, unless you manually opt out. This update doesn’t affect everyone though. If you’re in California, North Dakota, or Vermont, your data won’t be shared unless you opt in (thanks to stricter privacy laws).

For everyone else, PayPal will automatically turn on data sharing for what they call “personalized shopping.” This means merchants will see some of your shopping habits to tailor product recommendations. If that feels a bit invasive, you’re not alone—plenty of users are already pushing back.

This news isn’t surprising, though. A few months ago, The Wall Street Journal highlighted how PayPal plans to start its own ad network using data from its customers. This new change to its privacy policy seems to be in line with the company’s intentions.

What are users saying?

When the new terms were highlighted on BlueSky, reactions came quickly. Many users expressed concerns and confusion. For example, @greengale-ad mentioned checking their account and found that the option was already toggled off. But they were worried: “Does that mean they’ll turn it on later without my consent?” Other’s thanked the OP for bringing this to their attention.

Not everyone had such an easy time, though. Some users, like @omgfloofy and @puptini, reported that they couldn’t find the option at all, particularly if they had business accounts. This suggests that the ability to opt out might not be available for all account types, making it important for users to double-check their settings.

How to opt out of PayPal data sharing

If you’re concerned about PayPal sharing your personal data with merchants, there’s still time to opt out before the policy takes effect on November 27. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open PayPal: Log in through either the app or website.
2. Go to Settings: If you’re using the app, tap on your profile icon at the top right. On the website, you’ll find the gear icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Find Data & Privacy: Scroll down to the Data & Privacy section.
4. Manage Shared Info: Look for the Personalized Shopping option under Manage Shared Info.
5. Toggle It Off: Once you find the toggle switch, turn it off to stop PayPal from sharing your data.

Some users, particularly those with business accounts, might not see this option. If that’s the case, you may need to contact PayPal support for further assistance.

Final thoughts

While PayPal’s upcoming data-sharing policy might come as a surprise, it’s clear that they’re giving users a way to opt out—though not everyone may find it easy. If you’re worried about your privacy, it’s worth following those steps shared above to control what data PayPal collects from your account. The company is yet to update its Privacy Statement page with the same details.