111 Total
26 High severity
73 Medium severity
12 Low severity

Key Facts

When may Coursera disable the ability to delete an account?
Coursera may disable the ability to delete an account for users who are enrolled in for-credit offerings such as degrees, certificate programs, and other similar offerings.
For which users may Coursera disable the ability to delete an account?
Coursera may disable the ability to delete an account for users who are enrolled in for-credit offerings such as degrees, certificate programs, and other similar offerings.
When does Coursera destroy biometric facial data?
Coursera destroys biometric facial data upon successful completion of verification and in no event later than two years after collection.
When does Coursera act as the data processor?
Coursera, Inc. acts as the data controller of Personal Data, determining the means and purposes of processing, except when a user is participating in a degree program, in which case Coursera acts as the data processor.
Does Coursera act as the data controller when a user is participating in a degree program?
Coursera, Inc. acts as the data controller of Personal Data, determining the means and purposes of processing, except when a user is participating in a degree program, in which case Coursera acts as the data processor.
What will Coursera delete upon a user's request?
Coursera will delete, upon a user's request, the Personal Data associated with the user's account, including the learner profile, course history, and any certificates or certifications issued through its platform.
Does Coursera delete the learner profile upon a user's request?
Coursera will delete, upon a user's request, the Personal Data associated with the user's account, including the learner profile, course history, and any certificates or certifications issued through its platform.
What may Coursera share with an Enterprise program?
Coursera may share the course progress, completion status, and other analytics or usage information of learners in a Coursera Enterprise program with the Enterprise program for organizational purposes such as verifying enrollment.
For what purposes may Coursera share information of learners in a Coursera Enterprise program?
Coursera may share the course progress, completion status, and other analytics or usage information of learners in a Coursera Enterprise program with the Enterprise program for organizational purposes such as verifying enrollment.
What may Coursera's third-party identity verification vendor use Personal Data provided during identity verification to generate?
Coursera's third-party identity verification vendor may use Personal Data provided during identity verification to generate biometric facial data.
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Summary

This document explains what personal information Coursera collects about you—including biometric data during identity verification, audio from voice features, and session-replay recordings of how you use the site—how it uses that data, and what rights you have over it. If you want Coursera to delete your data or send you a copy, you can do that through Settings on the site, but be aware that deletion includes your certificates and course history. If you are enrolled in a degree or for-credit program, your ability to delete your account may be turned off, and if you are in an Enterprise program, your learning activity may be shared with your employer or sponsoring organization.

Analysis

Coursera's Privacy Notice establishes the terms under which Coursera, Inc. collects, uses, retains, and shares users' Personal Data, including particularly sensitive categories such as biometric facial data and voice and audio inputs. Coursera acts as data controller for most users but shifts to a data processor role when a user participates in a degree program, altering the allocation of primary responsibility for processing decisions. The notice sets a hard two-year maximum retention period for biometric facial data, provides users with in-platform mechanisms to request deletion or a copy of their Personal Data, and recognizes users' right not to be subject to solely automated consequential decisions—operationalized through an opt-out to human grading. Certain account-deletion rights may be disabled for users enrolled in for-credit programs, and Enterprise learners' course progress and usage analytics may be shared with their sponsoring organization.

What this means for you

Individual users are subject to collection of sensitive data including biometric facial data generated by a third-party vendor, audio inputs transcribed into text, and session-replay recordings of their on-site behavior. Coursera will permanently delete a user's Personal Data—including their learner profile, course history, and certificates—upon request, and users can make that request by going to Settings in the top-right dropdown on the site. Users enrolled in for-credit degree or certificate programs may find their account-deletion right disabled while enrolled. Enterprise learners should be aware that their course progress, completion status, and usage analytics may be shared with their sponsoring organization. Users whose grades involve AI-enabled peer review may elect a human grader instead and may request human review of their grade.

Institutional Analysis
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Which mapped governance frameworks each document engages, tied to the specific provisions that engage them.

7 important changes detected

8 versions captured · Last updated: September 2026

What changed Coursera's Privacy Notice was updated on September 4, 2026 to expand the categories of data used to personalize user experience. The revised terms now explicitly include 'Education, Career and Skills Information' alongside existing data types (Identity and Contact Data, Account Registration Data, Demographic Information, and device data) when facilitating personalized interactions with site features, content recommendations, learning support, and engagement tools. This clarifies what data the platform may process for tailoring your learning experience.
Why this matters The updated Privacy Notice clarifies that Coursera processes 'Education, Career and Skills Information' — in addition to identity, account, demographic, and device data — to personalize your interactions with site features, tailor content recommendations, provide learning support, and remember your preferences. This expands the stated scope of data categories used for personalization, though the operational use (personalizing your learning experience) remains unchanged. No control mechanism or opt-out is described in the updated language.
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What changed Coursera's Privacy Notice footer was updated on May 11, 2026 to include a new link labeled 'Do Not Sell/Share' in the footer navigation. This addition appeared between the 'Modern Slavery Statement' link and the 'Learn Anywhere' section. The change makes a consumer rights mechanism more prominent at the page level, though the underlying policy language and operational effect of this mechanism are not detailed in the change summary provided.
Why this matters Coursera added a 'Do Not Sell/Share' link to the footer of its Privacy Notice, making this consumer opt-out mechanism more accessible at the page level. The updated footer now includes this link alongside other legal and compliance resources. The change itself does not modify the underlying data practices or privacy rights, but rather makes an existing or newly available opt-out mechanism more visible to users.
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May 11, 2026 medium

Coursera updated its Privacy Notice on May 11, 2026 to clarify data collection and processing practices. The updated language expands descriptions of third-party data sources (now explicitly naming affiliates and …

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May 7, 2026 low

Coursera's Privacy Notice footer was updated on May 7, 2026 to add a 'Cookies Preference Center' link. This change makes it easier for users to manage their cookie preferences directly …

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May 6, 2026 low

Coursera updated its Privacy Notice on May 6, 2026 to clarify that the main privacy policy does not cover the Ollie mobile application. Two new sentences were added directing Ollie …

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April 19, 2026 low

Coursera's privacy notice footer was updated on April 19, 2026 to add a link labeled 'Do Not Sell/Share' in the footer navigation. This link appears to relate to consumer privacy …

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April 18, 2026 medium

Coursera removed two sentences from its Privacy Notice that previously stated the policy did not apply to its Ollie mobile application and directed users to a separate Ollie Privacy Notice. …

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Featured, High severity
Featured, Medium severity

Complete Provision Index

Every distinct legal provision identified in this document. Featured provisions appear above with analysis.

111 provisions
12 featured
18 clause types
26 high severity
Indemnification 1 1 high
Targeting and Audience Restrictions 1 1 high
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Mapped Governance Frameworks

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
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Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
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CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
View official text ↗
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
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FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
View official text ↗
GDPR
European Union
View official text ↗
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
View official text ↗
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
View official text ↗
UK GDPR
United Kingdom
View official text ↗
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US
View official text ↗
Archival ProvenanceSource & Archival Record
Last Captured September 11, 2026 00:28 UTC
Capture Method Automated scheduled archival capture
Document ID CA-D-000158
Version ID CA-V-006661
SHA-256 (extracted text, extractor v2) 1728b32968ab0c289de957c22d8bbf44daf08aab004e939089968ddcfc9eaa89
Archived bytes SHA-256 (anchor) 9626cda49f32e2a40bf479e1b7aba20551cc99af00db38168932fe7c808d6894
✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Text extracted ✓ Change verified ✓ Hash verified

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