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Why it's time to quit academia-dot-edu



I enjoyed academia.edu telling me that 26,000 people followed me and my posts. I enjoyed it telling me that I was in the top 0.5% in terms of views. But now it’s time to say goodbye. Here’s why.

 

Academia.edu’s New Ts and Cs

Academia.edu has recently overhauled its terms and conditions, sparking serious debate among academics about the long-term implications for scholarly publishing and personal data protection.1

Loss of Control Over Scholarly Content
Academia.edu’s updated terms now give the company a worldwide, irrevocable license to use, adapt, and create derivative works from anything users upload. This means your papers, data, and even profile details can be repurposed – potentially even after deletion or account closure. Many scholars argue this erodes their ability to manage the distribution and meaning of their own research.2

Your Identity Is Now a Commodity
Personal information such as names, institutional affiliations, voice recordings, and even likenesses may be used for platform advertising, marketing, and the training of AI models. Users have voiced discomfort with the thought of their identity being leveraged commercially and creatively without explicit ongoing consent.2

Commercialization and Predatory Subscriptions
Trust is also at stake. Numerous reviews note autorenewal subscription tactics and confusing cancellation experiences, which seem designed to lock users into unwanted payments. Such practices, described as “dark patterning,” further damage Academia.edu’s reputation as an advocate for open and ethical academic exchange.3

Academic Freedom and Open Access Threatened
A growing chorus recommends moving away from commercial platforms like Academia.edu in favor of non-profit repositories that offer true open access without hidden strings. The new rules cast doubt on the platform’s commitment to academic independence and have triggered account deletions across the scholarly community.2

In summary, the changes represent a shift toward aggressive commercialization, raising serious concerns about privacy, control over intellectual property, and the genuine support of academic values.

 

  1. https://www.academia.edu/terms  
  2. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademia/comments/1nmaff8/academiaedu_strives_to_product_all_our_users/    
  3. https://www.trustpilot.com/review/academia.edu?page=2  
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