# How the vendor collects, keeps and uses data (`trust.data_use`)

Feedback Bench, personal agents, built 2026-10-19, window 2026-08-31 to 2026-10-18. Web page: https://feedbackbench.com/#/criterion/trust.data_use

Area: [Trusting it with data and safety](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/trust.md)

**Definition.** How the vendor collects, retains, trains on, monetises or shares the user's data, and what its terms and incentives imply.

**Boundary.** Not this: see [Vulnerabilities, prompt injection and cross-user leaks](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/trust.security.md) when data leaks through a flaw or attack; see [Permission scope requested and isolation between agents](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/trust.access_scope.md) when the concern is how much access the agent requests.

Rated user-weeks, all agents: 592. Complaint share: 72%.

## The brief

Written by large language models from this page's numbers and the posts it quotes, then checked: every number in the text is in the build. Interpretation, not measurement.

Hermes Agent and OpenClaw handle user data best, because their users run them on their own hardware. Users say their data stays theirs, often with a local model, and that they don't have to show it to a model vendor. This criterion is the 40th most rated of 53, and 72.0% of rated user-weeks are complaints. Muse and Hark rank low. Muse users write 65% of the category's complaints here. Hark users rate this 2.31 times as often as other users.

### What separates the best from the rest

Users of the top and bottom agents describe different dealings with the vendor. Hermes Agent and OpenClaw users talk about owning their data. They self-host, keep things private and don't have to show their data to a model provider. Muse users say the app gathers information, is tied to their Facebook account and can still reach their data after they delete it. Hark users accuse the company of taking data during a bug and of not deleting personal data when it said it would.

- **Ranks high**: [Hermes Agent](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/hermes-agent.md), [OpenClaw](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/openclaw.md)
  - Hermes Agent, 2026-10-01, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “this is the one thing i keep coming back to hermes agent for. transparency and not feeding off ur data like leeches. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1948403370584064000/status/2105606226004611519)
  - OpenClaw, 2026-10-15, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@psyprotocol @gregisenberg this is why i use openclaw and gbrain. it’s worth the hassle factor to know i own my own data.” [source](https://twitter.com/2018426992597577728/status/2110674130387472592)
- **Ranks low**: [Muse](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/muse.md), [Hark](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/hark.md)
  - Muse, 2026-10-06, Play Store (Play Store): “i tried to delete but its attached to my facebook account, i deleted but it still can get my data and whatever else” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
  - Hark, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “hey @adcock_brett and @hark_labs just wondering how much we can sue for your ai company for lying about it's data retention policy. ya'll scraped my entire gmail and then lied about deleting my personal data from your service. see attached cc @wired [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/110465841/status/2111318116940533874)

## How it breaks

Rule: A separate pass sorts complaints into failure modes. For each criterion with at least 30 complaining user-weeks, a large language model reads 150 complaint posts drawn at random and names 4 to 8 failure modes; a second large language model then puts every complaint post on that criterion in one mode, or in Other when it fits none. Modes are fixed once named, and new posts are sorted into them each week. A mode counts distinct user-weeks with a complaint in it, per agent; across agents, one user-week per agent. Modes do not change the labels or the Feedback Score. Examples: up to 3 posts per mode from different users, chosen and checked as receipts are.

The largest mode is distrust, not a specific misuse. Users point to vague or missing terms and say they don't believe the vendor's promises. It covers 48% of complaining user-weeks, and Muse users write 71% of it. Muse users also write most complaints about data joined across the vendor's products (95%), activity turned into ads (82%) and training on user data by default. Complaints about data passed to third parties are spread across Muse, Grok Bot and Hermes Agent.

427 complaining user-weeks.

| Failure mode | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opaque terms and distrust of the vendor | 204 | 206 | Muse 144, OpenClaw 20, Grok Bot 12, Hark 11, Hermes Agent 8, ChatGPT Dots 6, Instinct 2, Gemini Spark 1 | Users hold back, limit use or leave because the terms are vague, contradictory or missing, the agent will not explain its own policy, or the vendor's track record makes any promise feel worthless, even when no specific misuse has been seen. A complaint that names a concrete misuse belongs to that misuse's mode. |
| Training on user data by default | 54 | 58 | Muse 37, Hermes Agent 6, Gemini Spark 4, Hark 4, ChatGPT Dots 1, Grok Bot 1, OpenClaw 1 | The vendor trains its models on the user's chats, mail or connected data unless the user finds an opt-out, sets a cheap or free tier that pays for itself with that data, or makes features work only when training or activity saving is on. Retention and deletion problems belong to the retention mode, not here. |
| Excessive personal data demanded upfront | 37 | 39 | Muse 25, Hark 6, Grok Bot 2, Hermes Agent 2, ChatGPT Dots 1, Gemini Spark 1 | Signup or setup asks for more than the task needs, such as a credit card, date of birth, full inbox access or passwords, so users refuse or drop off. Data the vendor later misuses belongs to the other modes. |
| Data kept after deletion or disconnection | 31 | 32 | Muse 13, Grok Bot 5, Hark 4, OpenClaw 4, ChatGPT Dots 2, Instinct 2, Hermes Agent 1 | Chats, indexed data or account data stay with the vendor after the user deletes messages, disconnects an integration, uninstalls the app or closes the account, or deleting data is made harder than signing up. Training consent belongs to the training mode, not here. |
| Data passed to third parties and middlemen | 27 | 28 | Muse 8, Grok Bot 7, Hermes Agent 5, OpenClaw 5, ChatGPT Dots 1, Hark 1 | The user's data, keys or messages go to other model providers, messaging platforms, acquirers or governments outside the user's control, including a self-hosted agent whose traffic still goes through someone else's servers. The vendor's own first-party use belongs to the other modes. |
| Data linked across the vendor's products | 21 | 21 | Muse 20, ChatGPT Dots 1 | Data the user gave for one purpose, such as billing details, a social media account or another app's profile, appears in the agent or is joined to it without the user's choice, including an app installed or a shared account required without consent. Photo and likeness misuse belongs to its own mode. |
| Agent activity turned into ads and sales | 17 | 17 | Muse 14, Grok Bot 2, OpenClaw 1 | What the user asks or does with the agent is used for advertising, product pushes, sponsored modules or sales outreach, such as feed ads that match recent queries or an enterprise rep who cites the user's personal usage. General fear that data might be sold, with no observed case, belongs to the vendor-distrust mode. |
| User photos and likeness used without consent | 12 | 13 | Muse 10, ChatGPT Dots 1, OpenClaw 1 | The vendor scans, publishes, shows or advertises with the user's photos, family pictures, likeness or files that the user never uploaded or approved for that use. Text or account data passed between products belongs to the cross-product mode. |
| Other | 29 | 29 | Hark 11, ChatGPT Dots 6, Muse 6, Hermes Agent 4, Grok Bot 1, OpenClaw 1 | Complaints that fit none of the modes above. |

#### Opaque terms and distrust of the vendor

- Hark, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs so you guys don’t intend on making people whole after participating in your data grab? noted.” [source](https://twitter.com/1973501319735386112/status/2111577848020439432)
- Hark, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@rickymay @hark_labs @adcock_brett to bad they collected all my info and also i got robbed by doordash in the same hour doordash canceled my order and kept the money @hark_labs @adcock_brett [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/2068035401982316544/status/2111357769202766181)
- Hark, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@rickymay @hark_labs @ftc i reported both of their apps to google and apple with a very detailed explanation of fraud and data collection” [source](https://twitter.com/1256286854141235200/status/2111342580558668053)

#### Training on user data by default

- Hark, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs thanks guys, what a great way to get more training data [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1565849297844846592/status/2111263829888000432)
- Hark, 2026-10-08, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs yeah, we have an option to export the data, but we don’t have an option to opt out. so can you improve this that would be great” [source](https://twitter.com/1991860005159817216/status/2108232843893882944)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-06, @NousResearch (X): “@witcheer @nousresearch hey folks, can't dismiss "help improve hermes" when connected to hermes cloud. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/2098152118460821511/status/2107549370715406529)

#### Excessive personal data demanded upfront

- Hark, 2026-10-17, App Store (App Store): “i gave up all of my data for a cheese pizza and lowkey regret it” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hark-pro/id6772362941)
- Hark, 2026-10-16, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs thanks for saving my appleid on your servers @hark_labs! it’s going to sit really well with users that your bot decides to save passwords! [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1496237543481917450/status/2111238565451436057)
- Muse, 2026-10-02, Play Store (Play Store): “unistalled right away after 1st use if you phone gets hot or warm it means too many stuff! also asking my credit card information for what?” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)

#### Data kept after deletion or disconnection

- Hark, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “hey @adcock_brett and @hark_labs just wondering how much we can sue for your ai company for lying about it's data retention policy. ya'll scraped my entire gmail and then lied about deleting my personal data from your service. see attached cc @wired [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/110465841/status/2111318116940533874)
- Hark, 2026-10-16, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs absolutely ridiculous @hark_labs. i want my account deleted and i want to make sure my password didn’t just get saved into your cloud” [source](https://twitter.com/1496237543481917450/status/2111236356991303741)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-14, What's new in Grok Bot - Oct 13, 2026 (YouTube): “grok bot can't delete the emails though? so xai have a full history of all emails and they can only be deleted by removing the account? i don't like this. should be an option to have the bot read the mail then delete. or delete after 7/30/90 days. not keep emails forever.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_K9yAckFh0&lc=UgwrPOZ1UD6WIPeSEmJ4AaABAg)

#### Data passed to third parties and middlemen

- Muse, 2026-10-13, Muse Wonder: Zuckerberg and Wang's $100B AI (YouTube): “my muse sends all my private data directly to meta, it's so great!!” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfdIhd1g6EI&lc=UgzHeicyyKy61TRKeT94AaABAg)
- Muse, 2026-10-13, Muse Wonder: Zuckerberg and Wang's $100B AI (YouTube): “my muse sends all my private data directly to meta, it's so great!! time go go with grokmaxus” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfdIhd1g6EI&lc=UgxVAFGUQx4Fz2UDaGF4AaABAg)
- OpenClaw, 2026-09-29, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@joepro when openclaw went to openai, i stopped using it. too risky for me. i like to keep my keys.” [source](https://twitter.com/1137173564690354178/status/2104790295842029951)

#### Data linked across the vendor's products

- Muse, 2026-10-08, App Store (App Store): “i did not download this app, yet it was in my phone taking my data” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/muse-from-meta/id6760173601)
- Muse, 2026-10-02, Play Store (Play Store): “its great. i like waking up to a new stranger every morning in my home eating out of the frige. make yourself at home meta!! obviously my info is your info so feel free, oh and invite your friend google next time.” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Muse, 2026-09-16, Meta Muse: Explained (YouTube): “i feel uncomfortable having to signup to it using my meta account shared with facebook it seems like we're just asking for our data to be mined, shared, sold, reused, and harvested for free.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-uXvCi-mXU&lc=UgzRRWar6OrHgtFWGF94AaABAg)

#### Agent activity turned into ads and sales

- OpenClaw, 2026-10-07, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@doodlestein they're pushing ads through openclaw too. i'm asked to install expedia module daily” [source](https://twitter.com/21683271/status/2107827670893424955)
- Muse, 2026-09-25, Claude Opus 5.5 Is Insane… But Muse is EVEN Bigger (YouTube): “within minutes i was getting ads for products related to my project. problem is, it's a private project i don't want anyone knowing about! i can't find where's the switch to turn off the spying!” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NRuT_d1PZE&lc=UgwhB3BKLpd4eBQkcyp4AaABAg.AbBhUmLpXPyAbC2I66e4-A)
- Muse, 2026-09-19, Play Store (Play Store): “don't sell my information. you promoted my information without permission” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)

#### User photos and likeness used without consent

- Muse, 2026-09-30, Play Store (Play Store): “awful. gives your address to strangers without your permission.” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Muse, 2026-09-30, App Store (App Store): “it proposed a prompt to my picture. i didn’t like the result. i want to delete it but it doesn’t give the option. real privacy issues.” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/muse-from-meta/id6760173601)
- Muse, 2026-09-28, @muse (X): “@muse turns out you're also giving out people's home addresses. i'm sure that part was an accident, but it's only a matter of time before we find out about some massive privacy scandal. although i'm sure the plan is probably just pay the fine.” [source](https://twitter.com/16039285/status/2104686888871211062)

#### Other

- Hark, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@rickymay @hark_labs no luck here either. i just requested a community note on their post. may not do much for our situations but worth a shot if it stops anybody else from being scammed out of their data.” [source](https://twitter.com/1700161785796378624/status/2111293221439779103)
- Hark, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs doesn’t work, but i guess you already collected my data so win-win, ehh?” [source](https://twitter.com/2047664889896833024/status/2111268873269809542)
- Hark, 2026-10-17, App Store (App Store): “collects user data with the promise of a free gift card to doordash which it will not give you after linking your account to their servers” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hark-pro/id6772362941)

## Top requests

What users ask to add or change, most asked first. 200 user-weeks ask for something. Requests do not change the Feedback Score. Rule: A separate pass by a large language model reads every counted post and extracts what the user asks the agent or its vendor to add or change, with the criteria it maps to and a short normalised wording; it does not touch the labels or the Feedback Score. A large language model groups the wordings within each criterion (the first criterion the request maps to) into themes, and a second pass merges themes that ask for the same change under different criteria; a merged theme sits under the criterion most of its requests map to, and code counts it once. A theme counts distinct user-weeks that ask for it, per agent; across agents, one user-week per agent. Themes asked in fewer than 2 user-weeks, and requests that share no theme, are not shown. Examples: up to 3 posts per theme from different users, without slurs: whole posts of 60 to 450 characters with at least 8 words beyond handles and links, posts of at most 280 characters first, then the newest.

| Rank | Request | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clear disclosure of data collection and use | 20 | 20 | Muse 11, OpenClaw 6, Grok Bot 3 |
| 2 | Opt out of training on user data | 19 | 19 | Muse 9, Grok Bot 4, Gemini Spark 2, Hark 2, ChatGPT Dots 1, OpenClaw 1 |
| 3 | Stronger privacy and security guarantees | 14 | 14 | Muse 9, ChatGPT Dots 2, Grok Bot 1, Hark 1, Hermes Agent 1 |
| 4 | User controls to delete stored data | 12 | 12 | Muse 7, Grok Bot 3, ChatGPT Dots 1, OpenClaw 1 |
| 5 | Clear retention and training policy | 11 | 11 | Hermes Agent 4, Muse 4, Grok Bot 2, Instinct 1 |
| 6 | Stop collecting and using personal data | 11 | 11 | Muse 10, OpenClaw 1 |
| 7 | Opt out of sharing data with third parties | 10 | 10 | Grok Bot 4, Muse 4, Gemini Spark 1, Hermes Agent 1 |
| 8 | Fully local on-device processing | 8 | 8 | Grok Bot 3, Hermes Agent 2, Hark 1, Muse 1, OpenClaw 1 |
| 9 | Fewer ads and no ad targeting | 6 | 6 | Muse 6 |
| 10 | More granular, easy-to-find privacy settings | 6 | 6 | Grok Bot 2, Muse 2, Hermes Agent 1, OpenClaw 1 |
| 11 | Data ownership and portability | 5 | 5 | OpenClaw 3, ChatGPT Dots 1, Grok Bot 1 |
| 12 | HIPAA compliance and BAA | 5 | 5 | Grok Bot 3, Hark 1, Hermes Agent 1 |

### 1. Clear disclosure of data collection and use

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-03, @bot (X): “@noxxai @bot proposer, it's useful. the next yes opens real access: flight, uber, context. available in france does not say where this computer is running, nor who can read what it sees.” [source](https://twitter.com/2005690580542840832/status/2106514091896631738)
- OpenClaw, 2026-09-29, Is Grok Bot Safer Than OpenClaw?  |  Ulysses Maclaren & Calum Simpson (YouTube): “as a non-technical user, i like the idea of an ai bot that needs no setup, but i’d still want to understand how it keeps my data safe.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GTCn3Ju3y8&lc=UgxnmhsHKrF-CLjGKPx4AaABAg)
- Muse, 2026-09-11, NEW Meta Muse AI Agent is ABSURD! 🤯 (YouTube): “yeah, just give me a decent secretary instead of zucc's black box” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHJF3SnKe5s&lc=Ugw9XPODgDxS0SnaShN4AaABAg)

### 2. Opt out of training on user data

- Hark, 2026-10-08, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs yeah, we have an option to export the data, but we don’t have an option to opt out. so can you improve this that would be great” [source](https://twitter.com/1991860005159817216/status/2108232843893882944)
- Hark, 2026-10-07, @hark_labs (X): “day 1 with @hark_labs pro: very proactive, actively learns your habits, intuitive design, credentials handled well, gets work done. open questions: training on paid users' data and a real opt-out @adcock_brett” [source](https://twitter.com/842167760037769216/status/2107977663910433026)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-07, @bot (X): “@farzyness @elonmusk @bot there us more to the story than cost optimization a lot of grok bot users do not want our data being used by anthropic” [source](https://twitter.com/36269100/status/2107890020723904776)

### 3. Stronger privacy and security guarantees

- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-12, The Hottest Product Manager in Tech Right Now 🔥 @OpenAI’s Holly Li Talks About Dots | Office Drama (YouTube): “the privacy question was great, thanks for asking that chloe! disappointed the only safeguards are to basically opt-out of learning or revoke access to gmail, nothing built into the product itself. wish there was more safeguarding of all our most sensitive data.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnLWRJ2p_Mg&lc=UgyqR6DFWI7tVEkIVzt4AaABAg)
- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-08, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “while personal information from various companies is leaking, dots is so amazing that it is throwing around all kinds of information. i hope something can be done! #openai #dots” [source](https://twitter.com/8710292/status/2107998330198614186)
- Muse, 2026-10-01, @muse (X): “@kimcurrier @muse yeah something different with guaranteed primitives on how your data will be used, rather than strongly worded guidelines in a prompt.” [source](https://twitter.com/14207787/status/2105486692367192364)

### 4. User controls to delete stored data

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-14, What's new in Grok Bot - Oct 13, 2026 (YouTube): “grok bot can't delete the emails though? so xai have a full history of all emails and they can only be deleted by removing the account? i don't like this. should be an option to have the bot read the mail then delete. or delete after 7/30/90 days. not keep emails forever.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_K9yAckFh0&lc=UgwrPOZ1UD6WIPeSEmJ4AaABAg)
- Muse, 2026-10-06, Play Store (Play Store): “i tried to delete but its attached to my facebook account, i deleted but it still can get my data and whatever else” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-06, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “@deryatr_ i want to know if you can delete your project dialogue after openai dots? i don‘t know how long it will be saved, and it may be saved forever. that’s why i don‘t use the cloud.” [source](https://twitter.com/1699071510/status/2107332282025467960)

### 5. Clear retention and training policy

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-10, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “but seems like it can't delete emails. @grok @bot, are you planning to keep our emails stored long-term? [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1362035762/status/2108772681894293955)
- Muse, 2026-09-28, @muse (X): “@miaferrariii @alexandr_wang @muse cute face. still need the privacy policy 😂” [source](https://twitter.com/952367173179146240/status/2104675998218228136)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-09-24, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch @perplexity_ai what’s the privacy policy of this? do they retain the prompts and use for product improvement?” [source](https://twitter.com/963278001474453504/status/2103246396480741784)

### 6. Stop collecting and using personal data

- Muse, 2026-10-01, Play Store (Play Store): “it's invasive and evil and is stealing all your info no matter what mark says. i questioned us and it told me point-blank that whatever he says now can be changed at any time based on the disclosures and that if they want to do it for enforcement they can take all your data” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Muse, 2026-09-26, Play Store (Play Store): “oh no not another app created by facebook you collect info then bombard us with more b.s. every time i open facebook, click on a short video, only to get hit with ads no that you meta and their third party data collection cohorts” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Muse, 2026-09-24, How new Meta AI agent Muse differs from chatbots (YouTube): “more like meta ruse! sucky zucky must stop stealing our data, and start implementing massive public ai safety measures!” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiG0T7MJBMY&lc=UgxgGEeip84eQXzcHmd4AaABAg)

### 7. Opt out of sharing data with third parties

- Muse, 2026-10-09, BOMBAZO… ¡Un Agente IA que hace de TODO GRATIS! Así es Muse AI (YouTube): “i want an ai assistant for my phone, but i am distrustful that it is from facebook. i don't want my personal information and private files to be out there.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGvi5TSYsvo&lc=UgxlB1lExbrYSrbLA4V4AaABAg)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-08, @bot (X): “@elonmusk @bot @spacex i hope we can turn this feature off. i don't want my ip going anywhere that i don't specifically know where it's going. one of them already owes me a settlement payout on 8 copyright infringements.” [source](https://twitter.com/1475849630185246720/status/2108042232137941405)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-07, Grok Bot Now Uses Claude Opus 5.5 + More (MASSIVE Update) (YouTube): “what about privacy? i don't want my data going to companies i didn't ask to work with to begin with.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8H3MvLJwfs&lc=Ugzwn3SkdLCaGc_lFpR4AaABAg)

### 8. Fully local on-device processing

- Hark, 2026-10-07, Hark is a MIND BLOWING AI Agent you need to try (YouTube): “is this run from local using a local llm or from in the cloud. in other words is this private?” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL_WMpJB2iY&lc=UgySdzmM2vjTYrT89md4AaABAg)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-27, @bot (X): “@elonmusk @bot neat. convince me it's secure and all my data is local.” [source](https://twitter.com/1517301169395273730/status/2104221516720144512)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-05, Meet Grok Bot: Your Team of AI Agents (YouTube): “i think this is awesome. only problem is data privacy. if only it was completely local.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkigdXf-52I&lc=Ugz6oCnc0112rikyaEB4AaABAg)

### 9. Fewer ads and no ad targeting

- Muse, 2026-09-25, Claude Opus 5.5 Is Insane… But Muse is EVEN Bigger (YouTube): “within minutes i was getting ads for products related to my project. problem is, it's a private project i don't want anyone knowing about! i can't find where's the switch to turn off the spying!” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NRuT_d1PZE&lc=UgwhB3BKLpd4eBQkcyp4AaABAg.AbBhUmLpXPyAbC2I66e4-A)
- Muse, 2026-09-24, Play Store (Play Store): “invasion of privacy. this ai slop app keeps getting advertised and using photos i've deleted off facebook and meta to catch my attention. you can fk off and respect my right to privacy. ead zuckerberg.” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Muse, 2026-09-23, Play Store (Play Store): “how to make sure that your junk ads do not clutter my internet?” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)

### 10. More granular, easy-to-find privacy settings

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-07, @bot (X): “@kristaletz @bot can we make this tagging private in some cases? why would i want the whole world knowing what i'm working on? serious question..great feature, but has to be optionally private” [source](https://twitter.com/1770624299717611522/status/2107653672067076406)
- Muse, 2026-09-15, Instinct AI is For Real. What You Need to Know. (YouTube): “how does it compare to meta muse. i find muse has a really good ux but lacks the power of grokbot. but i'll give muse to the family. i jusr need deeper into the privacy of the app. i don't want my life monetized, unless i get a cut.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUAsaprJ66s&lc=UgzHsm4gCyxwn0pjDe14AaABAg)
- Muse, 2026-09-09, @muse (X): “@yenkel @muse always. i now check settings → data control before i paste anything sensitive into a new agent. that toggle is too easy to miss. this one was proactive since well, meta.” [source](https://twitter.com/2081835864435679232/status/2097648525731303919)

### 11. Data ownership and portability

- OpenClaw, 2026-09-30, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@nichochar yeah tricky since none of the labs want people to be portable but maybe openclaw, hermes or even apple (it would be more abstracted into icloud)” [source](https://twitter.com/9615352/status/2105313585412936109)
- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-09-30, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “on openai dots, this is exactly what many devs [including myself] are against: you do not want that. the 'how you think' database/knowledge should be owned by you @osaurusai wrote on that at length on their blog, articulating it well enough across different posts [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1896575543312564224/status/2105135538210750678)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-27, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “elon’s abundance thesis only works if people actually keep the value they generate. centralized agents like grok bot are already useful, but they still treat your memory and behavior as platform fuel. a sovereign holon that lets you own, migrate, and monetize that data is the missing piece otherwise the robots work for the platforms, not for you.” [source](https://twitter.com/1707388111041294336/status/2104066971293634982)

### 12. HIPAA compliance and BAA

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-16, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “@elonmusk @grok @bot hippa compliance on @bot would be a huge unlock.” [source](https://twitter.com/64441938/status/2110898246667362325)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-06, @bot (X): “@elonmusk @grok @bot need grok bot to be included in the xai baa. us healthcare workers can't take advantage of these nice things due to hipaa.” [source](https://twitter.com/2502895511/status/2107262803040231487)
- Grok Bot, 2026-09-30, @bot (X): “@leerob @bot a version that is hipaa compliant would be amazing!” [source](https://twitter.com/1786755832740524032/status/2105306398674571738)

## Every agent

| Agent | Overall rank | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Hermes Agent](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/hermes-agent.md) | 2 | 1st of 5 | 0.634 | 0.596–0.671 | 82 | 57 | 25 |
| [OpenClaw](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/openclaw.md) | 5 | 2nd of 5 | 0.600 | 0.565–0.636 | 82 | 49 | 33 |
| [Grok Bot](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/grok-bot.md) | 3 | 3rd of 5 | 0.508 | 0.485–0.535 | 43 | 13 | 30 |
| [Hark](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/hark.md) | 4 | 4th of 5 | 0.469 | 0.446–0.491 | 38 | 5 | 33 |
| [Muse](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/muse.md) | 1 | 5th of 5 | 0.328 | 0.298–0.360 | 315 | 39 | 276 |
| [ChatGPT Dots](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/dots.md) | 8 | Too few posts | – | – | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| [Instinct](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/instinct.md) | 6 | Too few posts | – | – | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| [Gemini Spark](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/gemini-spark.md) | 7 | Too few posts | – | – | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| [Poke](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/poke.md) | 9 | Too few posts | – | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |

## Posts

Receipts rule: Up to 5 praise and 5 complaint posts per area and 3 per criterion. Each is a whole post of 60 to 450 characters (700 for areas) with at least 8 words beyond handles and links, that judges the criterion, whose labels are all praise or all complaint, and that contains no slur. Posts that touch the fewest criteria come first, then posts of at most 280 characters, then the newest. A second large language model reads the first 3 candidates per slot and keeps a post only if it clearly praises, or clearly complains about, the agent on that criterion. Links and personal details removed by the source show as marks such as [link].

### Hermes Agent

- Praise, 2026-10-18, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “hear, hear. the last thing i want to do is give fb and zuck anymore of my information. they have plenty. that’s why i ❤️hermes.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x943dw/i_am_missing_something_if_i_dont_use_hermes_or/phj24pm/)
- Praise, 2026-10-05, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@thisiskp_ muse and grok are fine for personal use because you own nothing. hermes agent is fine for professional use because you own everything.” [source](https://twitter.com/1350554387870076934/status/2106997774881296839)
- Praise, 2026-10-01, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i haven't used grok bot or muse. i am still using hermes. this thing, new doesn't necessarily mean it's suitable for oneself. the core points of hermes are: controlling your own hardware (without spending money) and data privacy (local model) [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/168404402/status/2105591462901760488)
- Complaint, 2026-10-06, @NousResearch (X): “@witcheer @nousresearch hey folks, can't dismiss "help improve hermes" when connected to hermes cloud. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/2098152118460821511/status/2107549370715406529)
- Complaint, 2026-09-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@hermesagenttips i haven't run any benchmarks but it feels fine quick & smart like grok 4.6 just be careful, don't use that "contributor" model on a hermes agent, literally every thought you have goes to zuck for inclusion in new training.” [source](https://twitter.com/14247096/status/2101055868565594466)

### OpenClaw

- Praise, 2026-10-15, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@psyprotocol @gregisenberg this is why i use openclaw and gbrain. it’s worth the hassle factor to know i own my own data.” [source](https://twitter.com/2018426992597577728/status/2110674130387472592)
- Praise, 2026-10-11, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@bei[phone] i think the local openclaw would be better. because all your data is your own and can be connected. if you are using muse on a server, there are many things it doesn't know and cannot access.” [source](https://twitter.com/2068554343973089280/status/2109245771543679068)
- Praise, 2026-10-04, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@cliftonsellers i have a few mac minis that run my version of openclaw and it’s very useful! i love it and i don’t gotta show openai and anthropic all my personal data. i’m very glad i did it.” [source](https://twitter.com/2093682192979238912/status/2106606904994943177)
- Complaint, 2026-10-07, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@doodlestein they're pushing ads through openclaw too. i'm asked to install expedia module daily” [source](https://twitter.com/21683271/status/2107827670893424955)
- Complaint, 2026-10-03, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “openclaw is the myspace of ai assistants. i stopped using it after the openai acquisition, a move i predicted would cause bad sentiment and unaligned interests. contrastingly, hermes caught lightning in a bottle, funny how ethics plays a major role in oss.” [source](https://twitter.com/27446035/status/2106361024605569043)
- Complaint, 2026-09-29, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@joepro when openclaw went to openai, i stopped using it. too risky for me. i like to keep my keys.” [source](https://twitter.com/1137173564690354178/status/2104790295842029951)

### Grok Bot

- Praise, 2026-10-02, App Store (App Store): “grok bot is doing wonders for me in very specific areas, and i’m really glad i’m not with any other provider. much like apple, i believe grok/xai will be protective of user privacy and guard rails.” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grok-bot/id6794501026)
- Praise, 2026-09-26, Grok Bot vs Meta Muse - Which AI Agent Is WORTH Paying For? (YouTube): “meta more private than grok? no way.. you know.. facebook.. meta... i see grokbot has an option i could turn on to allow for training on my data. grok seems to have it off by default.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbTAK69od_Q&lc=UgycfIPQl1yA_IL5eNl4AaABAg)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, What's new in Grok Bot - Oct 13, 2026 (YouTube): “grok bot can't delete the emails though? so xai have a full history of all emails and they can only be deleted by removing the account? i don't like this. should be an option to have the bot read the mail then delete. or delete after 7/30/90 days. not keep emails forever.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_K9yAckFh0&lc=UgwrPOZ1UD6WIPeSEmJ4AaABAg)
- Complaint, 2026-10-07, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “@elonmusk @bot @spacex i use grok because it has no watermark. there is no way to know whether what i am creating has it or not. this is a big drawback. by using grok bot, we have no control over how our information is used - that is a problem for me.” [source](https://twitter.com/1517683756961869824/status/2107956065669120070)
- Complaint, 2026-10-15, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “i still use grok bot for less sensitive tasks that can stay in the cloud. but the lack of clear data retention or deletion rules on the us-hosted machines makes me hesitant to put anything important there. if i ever want something gone, there’s no clear way to know it’s actually deleted.” [source](https://twitter.com/2061094751445700613/status/2110655860032655567)

### Hark

- Praise, 2026-10-11, X search: Hark Pro, hark.com, Hark AI (X): “so far the only ai agent i trust with my email is hark pro. it’s funny how meta muse pitch was similar on privacy, but don’t trust it that much. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1475420948/status/2109258309312348579)
- Praise, 2026-10-07, App Store (App Store): “hark pro is way better than muse. the main selling point for me is my data is safe. if you are looking for a muse alternative cause you don’t trust meta, try hark.” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hark-pro/id6772362941)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “omg it worked! 🤯 pizza delivered for free! no strings attached! no data taken / no gmail- no drama! thanks @adcock_brett and @hark_labs! [link] [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/56455353/status/2111328419451376126)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs and what are you doing with all the data you stole during this "bug"?” [source](https://twitter.com/37462633/status/2111262465053053379)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs thanks guys, what a great way to get more training data [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1565849297844846592/status/2111263829888000432)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs doesn’t work, but i guess you already collected my data so win-win, ehh?” [source](https://twitter.com/2047664889896833024/status/2111268873269809542)

### Muse

- Praise, 2026-10-05, @muse (X): “i love @muse’s transparency; it acknowledges how it learns from my questions and live data outside its training set.” [source](https://twitter.com/1439329367541182469/status/2107040729893912662)
- Praise, 2026-10-05, App Store (App Store): “this app is fantastic, works great and it really helps with so many different things, and it’s actually private! thank you meta ❤️” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/muse-from-meta/id6760173601)
- Praise, 2026-09-26, Grok Bot vs Meta Muse - Which AI Agent Is WORTH Paying For? (YouTube): “yeah i mean that is every tech company. they are all just just farming people's data. i do like with muse you can opt out though.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbTAK69od_Q&lc=UgzA5fcKRZc_jXp1ebp4AaABAg.AbCH8DbyB1eAbEcgcphiFw)
- Complaint, 2026-10-13, Play Store (Play Store): “its a scam to just gather information from you and this app is no help whatsoever. don't download!!!!” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Complaint, 2026-10-13, Muse Wonder: Zuckerberg and Wang's $100B AI (YouTube): “my muse sends all my private data directly to meta, it's so great!! time go go with grokmaxus” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfdIhd1g6EI&lc=UgxVAFGUQx4Fz2UDaGF4AaABAg)
- Complaint, 2026-10-13, Muse Wonder: Zuckerberg and Wang's $100B AI (YouTube): “my muse sends all my private data directly to meta, it's so great!!” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfdIhd1g6EI&lc=UgzHeicyyKy61TRKeT94AaABAg)

### ChatGPT Dots

- Complaint, 2026-10-01, OpenAI annonce Dots ! (YouTube): “hell for personal data, i will stick to my linux and my ollama with openclaw.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubMjSYjG3EI&lc=UgzOFpZ5XLJXZvM_9UF4AaABAg)
- Complaint, 2026-09-30, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “disconnect your inbox from a chatgpt dot and it still keeps what it already read. per openai's help page, the only way to clear that is to delete the dot. so the day-one question is which accounts you connect at all.” [source](https://twitter.com/714397048997617664/status/2105251350636544259)
- Complaint, 2026-10-05, ChatGPT Dots ist da… bevor du ihn an deinen Betrieb lässt (YouTube): “i'm with you, a personal agent with cron jobs is enough for many things, and you keep control over what is stored. and yes, deleting is not done with just one click. that's exactly why i find it so tricky with dots that you can't delete your memories individually. by the way, strong setup with the m5 ultra, i still can't make the jump from windows 100% 😅” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBVTl8U6vF0&lc=Ugy5vCZ-qgkT50DkTPh4AaABAg.AbWg2RE8X5tAb_ZP7slzLs)

### Instinct

- Complaint, 2026-09-17, X search: Instinct AI, Instinct personal assistant, instinct.com (X): “waittt, even after removing google access, why is my info still saved? someone explain this to me from the builder’s perspective, so is retaining previously indexed data actually necessary for the product to work, or is there another reason for it? #instinct #ai [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1495867602253787136/status/2100668229136142780)
- Complaint, 2026-09-19, r/AI_Agents (Reddit): “i made my own version i'm launching on monday because i was annoyed about instinct's stance on privacy. will be allowing people to access for free as i can figure out how to scale infra (free credit farming lol). the codebase will also be open for people to look at asap. i figured out how to expose the indexing + memory beliefs the agent has in the portal which i'm super excited about [[link]” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/AI_Agents/comments/1wicj9y/how_do_you_actually_build_your_own_instinct_ai/papz135/)

### Gemini Spark

- Complaint, 2026-09-24, 직장인을 위한 제미나이 스파크 사용법 | Gemini Spark 24/7 AI 자동화 (YouTube): “i know it's a good feature, but if you don't agree to the data learning and information sharing of gemini, isn't the use quite limited or you can't use the spark feature itself, which is the content of this video? i don't know if it's because it's a beta service, but working with this is a bit...” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiB4qISc8-s&lc=UgyAVS2BMlcSDs6i4b14AaABAg)
- Complaint, 2026-09-16, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “i wanted to try gemini spark, so i signed up for google ai pro... it is impossible to use gemini spark with the gemini app activity turned off to prevent data from being used for learning. gemini spark requires activity saving to be enabled as a prerequisite for operation... :( ;´ω`;)” [source](https://twitter.com/37058184/status/2100053970702201339)
- Complaint, 2026-09-10, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “since i am using the paid version of gemini, i can use gemini spark, a cloud-based ai agent that operates 24/7! however, i found out that i have to set it to "on" for activities, and doing so means that my work content will be used for google's ai improvement and learning purposes, which is an incomprehensible specification, so i can't really use it.” [source](https://twitter.com/69577352/status/2098067231666258008)

### Poke

- Praise, 2026-09-07, @interaction (X): “@harrystebbings @noahrshinn i have the same thing on poke / @interaction, basically free and less privacy issues… really don’t get why mainstream vc x is obsessed with instinct when poke has been around for over a year” [source](https://twitter.com/1585221113465954304/status/2096939012057649609)