GUIDE
How to read a training statement
The difference between a no-training commitment, a mixed statement, and an affirmative data-use statement, and why the wording matters.
Updated September 15, 2026
Three kinds of statement, not two
It is tempting to sort vendors into those that train on customer data and those that do not. The published material rarely splits that cleanly. CounselAtlas labels each statement as a no-training commitment, a mixed statement, or an affirmative data-use statement.
A no-training commitment is shown only when the vendor says so in writing. A mixed statement is one where the vendor declines third-party training but reserves some internal use. An affirmative data-use statement is one where the vendor's terms grant rights to use customer data. The label describes the wording, not the product.
Why the mixed statement is the one to read closely
A mixed statement usually contains two halves: a promise not to train third-party models, and a reservation to use inputs and outputs to improve the vendor's own products. Both halves matter, and both are quoted in the record.
The practical question for a firm is whether the second half can be turned off. Where the vendor publishes an opt-out, it is in the record. Where it does not, the record says so.
A commitment is not a control
A no-training statement describes what the vendor says it does with data. It does not describe who inside the vendor can reach that data, where it is stored, or how long it is kept. Those are separate fields in the record, and a vendor may be strong on one and silent on another.
Read the confidentiality statement, the training statement, and the data-location statement as three separate observations. A firm's own obligations may depend on all three.
What to do when the record says Not stated
Not stated means the checked source did not contain a qualifying statement. It is not an accusation and not a warning. It records an absence in the material we examined.
That is the point at which to put the question to the vendor directly. The vendor's written answer becomes the evidence, and the record can be updated when it is published.