The numbers.
Between June and August 2026 we read 329 privacy policies across 30 industries, in their current public versions, and recorded what they state. These are the figures. Each finding links to the Fine Print page where the pattern is read in full.
The industry sweep
73%
of the policies we read across 15 industries give no general retention period. The headline rule is "as long as necessary."
The patterns in full78%
of transportation policies grant account deletion subject to open-ended exceptions: safety, security, fraud prevention, fee collection, disputes, insurance, legal obligations.
Transportation67%
of crypto policies keep the identity dossier after the account closes. Each one that gives a number says five years.
Crypto50%
of gambling policies state a concrete figure of five to ten years after account closure. The clock starts when you leave, not when you joined.
Gambling75%
of telecom policies keep and analyse network data once it is de-identified. Half of those say they share it with other companies.
TelecomThe video-interview sweep
8 weeks to 2 years
is the stated retention range for interview recordings. One policy sets no limit at all.
80%
of platforms hold your recording on the employer's instructions. Only 20% say outright that they pass a deletion request on to the employer.
Every figure above is a share of the policies we read from the biggest companies in each industry, and of what those policies themselves state. Reuse them with attribution to DÆTRAX and a link to this page.
DÆTRAX is a personal data accountability ledger: a dated record of which companies hold your personal data, what you asked them to do about it, and what they claimed in reply.