Khan Academy · Khan Academy Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Data Retention and Deletion Rights

Medium severity Medium confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Rare · 7 of 325 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

Khan Academy keeps your personal data for as long as it needs to, which is not defined with a specific timeframe, and you can request deletion by emailing their privacy team.

This analysis describes what Khan Academy'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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This provision establishes the operational framework for data retention duration and creates a mechanism for users to initiate deletion requests. The retention standard ties data lifecycle to stated business and legal purposes rather than a fixed time period.

Interpretive note: The policy does not define specific retention periods, making it unclear how long different categories of data are retained in practice; this creates uncertainty particularly for EU users where defined retention schedules are a GDPR requirement.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Khan Academy does not specify a maximum retention period for personal data, meaning learning activity records and account information may be kept indefinitely unless a deletion request is submitted; users can request deletion by emailing privacy@khanacademy.org.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Delete Your Data
    Email privacy@khanacademy.org requesting deletion of your personal data or your child's data. State your account username or email address and specify whether you want partial or complete deletion.

How other platforms handle this

Roblox Medium

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. You may request deletion of your personal information by submitting a request through our privacy request form or by contacting us at pri...

Ford Medium

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal information, we consider the amount, natur...

WhatsApp Medium

We store information until it is no longer necessary to provide our services and WhatsApp Products, or until your account is deleted or becomes inactive, whichever comes first. This is a case-by-case determination that depends on things like the nature of the information, why it is collected and pro...

See all platforms with this clause type →

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. If you would like to request deletion of your personal information, you may contact us at privacy@khanacademy.org.

— Excerpt from Khan Academy's Khan Academy Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Data retention obligations engage GDPR's storage limitation principle (Article 5(1)(e)), which requires that personal data not be kept longer than necessary for its specified purpose, and CCPA's data minimization requirements. For student data, FERPA and state student privacy laws impose obligations on educational institutions to define retention schedules for education records. The absence of specific retention periods may create tension with GDPR's requirement for defined retention schedules. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The policy's retention language (as long as necessary) is standard boilerplate but does not satisfy GDPR's requirement for defined retention periods communicated to data subjects. EU and UK data protection authorities have cited indefinite or open-ended retention language as a compliance gap. Institutional customers should ensure their data processing agreements specify retention periods for student data. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU and UK users have stronger rights under GDPR to erasure and to defined retention periods. California residents have CCPA deletion rights. Students in institutional deployments have FERPA-based rights to request amendment or deletion of education records that are inaccurate or maintained in violation of FERPA. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Institutional data processing agreements with Khan Academy should specify maximum retention periods for student data and include provisions for data return or destruction upon contract termination. Audit rights over retention practices are advisable. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams should assess whether the open-ended retention language complies with GDPR's storage limitation principle for EU user data, and whether specific retention schedules need to be negotiated through data processing agreements for institutional deployments.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    Indefinite data retention practices for consumer data, including from minors, may constitute an unfair practice subject to FTC enforcement
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN

Provision details

Document information
Document
Khan Academy Privacy Policy
Entity
Khan Academy
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 18, 2026
Last verified
May 11, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-010275
Document ID
CA-D-00160
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
67ea8f65d5844645bdb037fbe185b7686e95e08c03fd69c0908a9f7825918090
Analysis generated
April 18, 2026 10:26 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Khan Academy
Document: Khan Academy Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-010275
Captured: 2026-04-18 10:26:27 UTC
SHA-256: 67ea8f65d5844645…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/khan-academy/khan-academy-privacy-policy/data-retention-and-deletion-rights/
Accessed: May 20, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Khan Academy's Data Retention and Deletion Rights clause do?

This provision establishes the operational framework for data retention duration and creates a mechanism for users to initiate deletion requests. The retention standard ties data lifecycle to stated business and legal purposes rather than a fixed time period.

How does this clause affect you?

Khan Academy does not specify a maximum retention period for personal data, meaning learning activity records and account information may be kept indefinitely unless a deletion request is submitted; users can request deletion by emailing privacy@khanacademy.org.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 7 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Khan Academy?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Khan Academy.