Pinterest terms change Nov 12, 2026: one arbitrator for mass claims, TV ads by household, 30-day arbitration opt-out

What changed

Pinterest is replacing its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy on November 12, 2026. Both new versions have been posted as previews since about September 1. Pinterest's help page says "Your Pinterest experience won't change" and "By continuing to use Pinterest after November 12, 2026, you accept the updates to the Terms." The biggest change is to Section 11, the arbitration agreement that covers everyone outside the EEA, Switzerland and the UK, which has been rewritten from scratch.

Arbitration moves from the American Arbitration Association to JAMS. The new agreement "applies to any Claim you have not filed in court or in arbitration before the date you agreed to these Terms, and supersedes and amends any prior arbitration agreement between you and Pinterest, including as to Claims that arose before this or any prior arbitration agreement." Each case is "a single, confidential arbitration."

Mass claims are squeezed harder

Today, if 25 or more similar demands are filed within 60 days or with the same law firms, AAA groups them into batches and appoints "one arbitrator to resolve each batch." Under the new text, when 25 or more claimants file similar claims within 90 days or through coordinated lawyers, "all of those Claims will be consolidated into one arbitration before one arbitrator." If a lawyer or litigation funder is advancing a claimant's costs, the arbitrator "may also divide all fees and costs (including all arbitrator's fees) between that funder and Pinterest."

In the final decision, the arbitrator can divide fees "among Pinterest, the claimants, and the claimants' lawyers." Either side can also make a written settlement offer under California Code of Civil Procedure section 998. Under that rule, a party who turns down an offer and then does worse can be made to pay the other side's costs from the date of the offer. Requests for public injunctive relief go to a court. One change works in users' favor: the terms add a 30-day opt-out.

"You may opt out of this Section 11 within 30 days of first becoming subject to it by emailing litigation@pinterest.com with your name, account email, and a statement that you're opting out." The current terms (effective April 30, 2025) have no opt-out. The new terms also say that, for users outside the EEA, Switzerland and the UK, "your acceptance of these Terms constitutes your consent to the processing activities described in our Privacy Policy under the laws of your jurisdiction," and that "By accessing YouTube content on Pinterest, you also agree to be bound by YouTube's Terms of Service."

The new Privacy Policy, also effective November 12, describes ads that follow you off Pinterest. Its example: if you look at camping gear, "we may show you ads for other outdoor products on Pinterest, or, for example, depending on your location, when you're streaming a show on your connected TV." Ad targeting now includes "associating devices that may relate to the same person or household." Pinterest says it may get information "from partners that help us power the ads we show to you on and off Pinterest" and, "Depending on where you live," "from data providers."

"Voice transcripts" join the activity Pinterest uses "to make inferences about you and your preferences." A new line says Pinterest "may also use, or work with vendors who use automated tools to scan and analyze your messages to detect harmful or unlawful content." According to PPC Land, Pinterest bought the connected-TV ad company tvScientific in February 2026.

What you can do

To keep your right to go to court, email litigation@pinterest.com with your name, your account email and a statement that you're opting out of Section 11. For existing users the new terms take effect November 12, so the safest window is November 12 to December 12, 2026. Keep a copy of your email. If you use Global Privacy Control in a U.S. state that honors it, the new policy says to "log into your Pinterest account from a web browser with the Global Privacy Control enabled to link that opt-out choice to your account."

It also says "Your connected TV may allow you to manage or limit the use of data for advertising." For comparison, Discord's terms also let users decline arbitration by email ("emailing an opt-out notice to arbitration-opt-out@discord.com within 30 days" of its September 29, 2025 terms or of registering), and Discord's mass-arbitration section lets either side opt out to court if a batch can't be resolved. Pinterest's new version goes the other way: 25 or more similar claims end up in one arbitration before one arbitrator.

A plain opt-out email (our wording, not Pinterest's): To: litigation@pinterest.com. Subject: Opt-out of Section 11 arbitration. Body: "My name is [full name] and my Pinterest account email is [email]. I am opting out of Section 11 (Arbitration) of the Pinterest Terms of Service effective November 12, 2026." Send it on or after November 12 and before December 12, 2026, and save the sent copy.

Who it affects

Pinterest users in the U.S. and everywhere outside the EEA, Switzerland and the UK (the arbitration section doesn't apply to consumers there), plus any Pinterest user who sees ads on other sites, apps or connected TVs, or who sends messages on Pinterest

Who else has reported it · checked October 20PPC Land covered the advertiser-side changes (ad guidelines and connected-TV ad contracts) on September 12. We found no reporting on the user arbitration rewrite, the new opt-out, or the household and TV ad language.

Source

Detected on the Pinterest terms page: https://policy.pinterest.com/terms-of-service-preview. Always check the source; this summary is not legal or financial advice.

Other sources:

Provenance: detected in our Oct 20 snapshot of the Pinterest terms page. Excerpts marked "Quoted from the documents" come from the sources linked above.