# Discourse privacy rating

Open source, self-hostable discussion platform that works as a forum, mailing list or long-form chat room. A hosted version is sold by its developer.

## Summary

Discourse scores 30 out of 100 (grade F) on the social networks criteria. It meets 1 of 4 criteria: open source. It does not meet no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and independent audit. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.

- Website: https://www.discourse.org
- Source code: https://github.com/discourse/discourse
- License: GPL-2.0
- Jurisdiction: United States. Five Eyes member. Subject to the US CLOUD Act.
- Home page trackers: Google Tag Manager, HubSpot
- Category: [Social networks](https://privacyratings.com/social-networks/)
- Grade: F (30/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes | GPL-2.0. | https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/main/LICENSE.txt |
| No trackers or telemetry | No | The home page loads Google Tag Manager and HubSpot (automated test). |  |
| No ads or data sales | No | Funded by hosting plans, but the privacy policy allows sharing personal information with data brokers and using it for targeted advertising. | https://www.discourse.org/privacy |
| Independent audit | No | No independent audit is published. |  |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/social-networks/discourse/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/social-networks/discourse.md