Der Dateitransferdienst WeTransfer, der oft als kostenlose und bequeme Lösung für große Datenmengen genutzt wird, hat mit einer Anpassung seiner Nutzungsbedingungen für Aufsehen gesorgt. In den sozialen Medien haben viele Nutzer darauf aufmerksam gemacht und die Suche nach Alternativen gestartet.
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New owners wanted to restructure WeTransfer
WeTransfer was created by Italian app developer in August 2024 Bending Spoons taken over. Bending Spoons is known for rigorous restructuring following acquisitions (e.g. Evernote, Filmic, Meetup, Komoot). Shortly after the takeover, CEO Luca Ferrari announced that around 75% of over 350 employees Wanting to dismiss the team in order to streamline and realign it.
The controversial terms of use
At the beginning of June 2025, a change in the terms of use caused massive protest. The originally planned clause (section 6.3) would have WeTransfer extremely far-reaching rights to the uploaded content are granted. This included rights to:
- Duplicate, modify, publish, or publicly present.
- Commercialize of the content.
- Re-licensing to third parties.
- Machine learning model training (“AI training”).
This clause would have allowed WeTransfer to resell the content to AI companies, for example, or even use it for posters or television. There was a share of the proceeds from the licensing user expressly excluded. In addition, anyone who uploads a file would have granted these rights — regardless of whether he actually had the rights to the file, which could have led to legal problems for users.
Withdrawal after public outcry
The controversial clause caused great displeasure and outrage, particularly in the creative scene. Many users considered switching to alternative providers. Following massive criticism and public pressure, WeTransfer revised the clause on July 15.
The company has apologized for the confusion and stated that content is now only available for Improving and operating the service may be used — and in accordance with the privacy policy. There is no longer any talk of AI training in the new terms of use.
WeTransfer assures that no machine learning or AI is used to process shared content and content is not sold to third parties. In principle, the ownership rights to the content remain with the users.
Changes in service offerings
Under the new leadership of Bending Spoons, there were also changes to the service packages:
- that free offer has been limited: Only ten transfers per month are allowed.
- In return, some functions have been improved, such as the maximum file size increased to 3 GB and access to previously paid features such as password protection for free users.
- New paid packages were introduced: “Starter” for $6.99/month (up to 300 GB) and “Ultimate” for $25/month (unlimited transfers).
Alternatives for users
End-to-end encryption is generally recommended for sensitive data. Alternatives to WeTransfer include:
- Swiss Transfer (Switzerland)
- Smash (France)
- TransferNow (France)
- SecureCloud (Germany)
Take data protection seriously
The latest incidents involving WeTransfer but also SharePoint are a stark reminder that digital services — whether enterprise software or file transfers — are constantly exposed to threats and their business conditions can change.
For users of services such as WeTransfer, the changes to the terms of use underline the importance of reading such agreements carefully and being aware that the “free” service is often paid for by providing (potentially valuable) user data. It's like a house: You not only have to close the doors firmly, but also check the rental agreement carefully before you move in to avoid unpleasant surprises.
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