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Coursera may share your personal data with government agencies or courts if legally required to do so.
This analysis describes what Coursera's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
Users should be aware that their personal data, including learning activity and communications, may be disclosed to law enforcement or government authorities in response to legal process.
The updated terms now explicitly disclose that Coursera processes communications through voice-enabled features that transcribe audio into text, and clarify that personal data may be shared with third parties including affiliates and business partners. The policy expands descriptions of AI-driven personalization and chatbot applications that use your learning and interaction data. The terms establish that data may be transferred to entities that become Coursera affiliates or subsidiaries during business transitions. You should review the updated guidance that cautions against including unnecessary or sensitive personal data in the platform's free-text and voice-enabled communication features.
View change record →The updated Privacy Notice removes explicit language stating that the policy does not apply to Coursera's Ollie mobile application and no longer directs users to a separate Ollie Privacy Notice for that app. Previously, users of Ollie had clear notice to consult a dedicated privacy policy; that direction is now absent from the main Privacy Notice. The updated notice also narrows the scope of covered entities by removing 'affiliates' from the definition of Coursera, stating the policy now applies to Coursera, Inc., its subsidiaries, and international branches only. Users of the Ollie App should independently verify what privacy terms currently govern that application, as the main Coursera Privacy Notice no longer explicitly addresses Ollie coverage.
View change record →Personal data held by Coursera, including course enrollment, learning history, and account information, may be disclosed to law enforcement or government agencies in response to court orders or other valid legal process.
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The right to request detailed information about the specific types of Personal Data we've collected over the past 12 months, including data disclosed for business purposes
If you choose to reveal any personal information about yourself to other users, you do so at your own risk. We strongly encourage you to use caution in disclosing any personal information online.
When you are asked to provide information, you may decline to do so; but if you choose not to provide information that is necessary to provide some of our Services, you may not be able to use those Services.
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"We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or a government agency).Excerpt from Coursera's Privacy Notice
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision is standard across consumer platforms and reflects compliance with applicable legal process obligations under U.S. law (including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act), GDPR Article 6(1)(c) (legal obligation as a lawful basis), and equivalent provisions in other jurisdictions. The provision does not specify whether Coursera commits to notifying users prior to disclosure where legally permitted. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Low to Medium. Government disclosure provisions are standard and legally required. However, the notice does not describe a transparency report practice or commit to challenging overbroad requests, which some platforms include as a user protection measure. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU users may have additional protections under GDPR where government disclosure requests from non-EU authorities must comply with applicable transfer rules. U.S. users are subject to U.S. legal process without equivalent statutory protections in the absence of a comprehensive federal privacy law. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Enterprise clients operating in sensitive industries should assess their exposure to government data requests through third-party vendors such as Coursera and whether their DPAs include notification commitments. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Organizations in regulated industries should assess whether sensitive employee learning data processed through Coursera could be subject to government requests and factor this into vendor risk assessments.
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Ad personalization controls removed. Contact scanning added. Advertiser data partnerships quietly dropped. A timeline of every change.
Provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, and regulatory mapping built from archived source documents and historical version tracking.
Users should be aware that their personal data, including learning activity and communications, may be disclosed to law enforcement or government authorities in response to legal process.
Personal data held by Coursera, including course enrollment, learning history, and account information, may be disclosed to law enforcement or government agencies in response to court orders or other valid legal process.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 295 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Coursera.