Is Cline safe with your data?
Cline
Cline Bot Inc.
Poor disclosure · high confidence
Cline earns an F (38/100) because it discloses little about its data practices.
#171
of 177 apps ranked
38
score · Coding avg 62
-24
vs category average
Cline's privacy notice describes its data categories, sharing practices, and AI use clearly, but it says nothing about user data-subject rights, retention periods, or security safeguards. That puts it in the F band. There are no adverse reservations, so no dealbreaker flags apply and the empty flag list is correct.
What Cline's privacy policy says about your data
No user rights section
The notice grants no access, deletion, portability, or correction rights. The Your Privacy Choices section covers only cookies, marketing unsubscribe, and advertising opt-outs, and defers everything else to choices that depend on location.
Silent on retention and security
There is no data retention period, no deletion timeline for account data, and no security safeguard or breach-notification clause anywhere in the notice.
Ad sharing with opt-out
Cline shares a hashed common identifier with advertising partners for targeted advertising and offers opt-outs through the Digital Advertising Alliance and the Network Advertising Initiative. This counts as a share with opt-out, not an adverse sale.
Own API keys avoid collection
If you use your own API keys to reach the AI model, you send content directly to the third-party provider and Cline does not collect it. The AI model provider trains on that content unless you opt out where the provider offers the option.
What the policy is silent or vague on
- Not stated: your ownership of generated outputs
- Not stated: a right to access your data
- Not stated: a right to delete your data
- Not stated: data portability
Cline privacy rating
Details
- Category
- Coding
- Modalities
- text
- Processes biometrics
- No
- Policy last updated
- 2025-09-24
- Region scored
- Global / US-default
- Assessed
- 2026-06-20
Other coding apps
Each grade reflects our analysis of what an app states in its public privacy policy and terms as of the assessment date. It measures the transparency of those documents, not the company's actual data practices, security, or compliance. Grades are our opinion, offered for general information. Full disclaimer.