Frequently asked questions

The basics

What is webuydata?

We purchase digital data from consumers. We are specifically focused on AI usage and usage of AI search engines.

We compensate all data contributors and remove all personal details of the contributors from the datasets before aggregating and analyzing them.

What do you use the data for?

The cleaned data is used by companies and academic institutions for various types of research projects. The typical research project will use several thousand data sets as the basis for research.

Is this legit?

Yes. WeBuyData is run by Burleywhag Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. We are registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office under number ZC125602. Our full Terms and Privacy Notice are linked at the bottom of every page.

How does it work?

1. Share your data via our browser extension or by uploading an export of your AI chat history.
2. The data is scrubbed and validated for quality and accuracy.
3. You get paid within 5 business days via Amazon gift card.

Why do companies want my chat history?

Researchers want to understand how real people use AI and what they talk about, for example which products or topics come up. The value is not necessarily in an individual set but in looking at trends across many datasets.

Getting paid

How much will I get?

Between $5 and $25 per valid upload. The amount depends on what your data contains and how much of it there is. You see the figure before you confirm.

How do I get paid?

By Amazon gift card today. We plan to add cash payments over time.

Is there a minimum amount I need to earn before I can get paid or cash out?

Unlike other consumer research platforms there is no minimum balance and no threshold to reach before you can cash out. You are paid for every valid upload, regardless of the incentive size.

When do I get paid?

Within 5 business days of your upload passing our checks.

Can I contribute more than once?

Yes. As your history grows you can contribute again. We also invite contributors directly from time to time for specific research, with separate compensation.

Do I have to pay tax on what I earn?

That is between you and your tax authority. You are responsible for any tax owed on what you receive. We do not give tax advice.

Your privacy and safety

What gets removed from my data?

Before anything is stored, your upload goes through a scrubbing process that removes personal identifiers such as names, email addresses, phone numbers and locations.

Does a person read my chats?

No. No human reads your raw upload as part of normal processing. It is handled by software.

Is it really anonymous?

The data we sell is anonymous and combined from many people, so it cannot be traced back to you. We are also honest about the limits. Scrubbing removes the identifiers that software can detect, but not every possible detail. Your own contribution may still contain something personal, which is why we treat it as personal information, keep it linked only to your account, and never sell or share it on its own.

What about sensitive things in my chats?

Your chats might touch on health, money or personal life. At signup we ask for your explicit consent to keep that kind of information. You can withdraw that consent at any time by asking us to delete your contribution.

Whilst we take scrubbing and anonymizing seriously, we would recommend that you do not upload your data if it contains very sensitive information.

Will you ever sell my individual data?

Today, no. We only sell anonymous data built from many contributors combined. In future we may sell short extracts about products, brands or buying intent, with all personal identifiers removed and grouped into broad demographic categories. If we ever start doing that, we will tell you first and give you a working way to opt out.

How do you keep my data secure?

Security is built into every step. Your upload reaches us over an encrypted connection, and everything we store is encrypted at rest.

Before any of your data is stored, it passes through Microsoft Presidio, an open-source data protection tool, which removes personal identifiers such as names, email addresses, phone numbers and addresses. Your original upload is then deleted, so we only keep the cleaned version.

Access is tightly controlled: your data is isolated to your own account, passwords are never stored in plain text, and the systems that handle data are kept separate from anything visible in your browser.

We are a UK company registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ZC125602) and handle your data in line with UK GDPR. For a security question, email privacy@webuydata.io.

Who can contribute

Who is eligible?

You need to be 18 or over, a US resident, and the genuine owner of the AI account you are exporting from, with the right to share that data.

Can I upload data from a work account?

Only if you are allowed to. Do not upload anything you are contractually or legally barred from sharing, for example data that belongs to your employer or that would break your agreement with the AI provider. When you upload, you confirm you have the right to share it.

How to contribute

Which AI services can I contribute from?

The major AI engines are supported.

Browser extension or file upload?

Both work today. Use the browser extension to connect your account directly, or upload an export of your chat history yourself. Either is fine.

Why might an upload be rejected?

Two main reasons.

1. Your data does not match what we are currently looking for. For example, if a project needs people who have researched home goods and your history shows none, it will not qualify.
2. Your account is very new or your history is too thin to be useful.

If an upload does not pass, we tell you, and you can try again when you have more relevant history.

How do I get my chat history out of my AI account?

You have two options. The quickest is the browser extension. Install it, sign in, and it connects to your account and pulls your history across for you, so you never touch a file.

If you would rather export it yourself, the steps are similar across the main AI engines:

1. Sign in to your AI account on a computer browser.
2. Open Settings, then look for a section called Data Controls or Privacy.
3. Find the Export option and confirm the request.
4. The service emails you a secure download link. This can take a few minutes, so check your spam folder if it does not arrive.
5. Open the email, download the file (it usually arrives as a .zip), and upload that file to us.

Once it is in, we handle the rest.

Control and deletion

How do I delete my data?

Close your account in your settings, or email privacy@webuydata.io. We delete the individual records linked to you within 30 days of confirming your request.

Do I lose my gift cards if I delete my data?

No. Any gift card already issued is yours to keep.

Is there anything you cannot delete?

Yes, and we want to be transparent about it. Once your contribution has been combined into anonymous, aggregated data, we cannot pull it back out, because that data is no longer linked to you. The same applies to anything already shared with a customer. Everything still linked to you is deleted.

How do I withdraw my consent?

Withdrawing consent and deleting your data are the same action. Ask us to delete your contribution and we will stop using it.

Who do I contact with a privacy question?

Email privacy@webuydata.io.