Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy was last updated on July 14, 2022.

Thank you for joining Udemy. We at Udemy (“Udemy”, “we”, “us”) respect your privacy and want you to understand how we collect, use, and share data about you. This Privacy Policy covers our data collection practices and describes your rights regarding your personal data.

Unless we link to a different policy or state otherwise, this Privacy Policy applies when you visit or use the Udemy and CorpU websites, mobile applications, APIs, or related services (the “Services”). It also applies to prospective customers of our business and enterprise products.

By using the Services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. You shouldn’t use the Services if you don’t agree with this Privacy Policy or any other agreement that governs your use of the Services.

Table of Contents

1. What Data We Get

1.1 Data You Provide to Us

We may collect different data from or about you depending on how you use the Services. Below are some examples to help you better understand the data we collect.

When you create an account and use the Services, including through a third-party platform, we collect any data you provide directly, including:

Category of Personal Data Description Legal Basis for Processing
Account Data In order to use certain features (like accessing content), you need to create a user account, which requires us to collect and store your email address, password, and account settings. To create an instructor account, we collect and store your name, email address, password, and account settings. As you use certain features on the site, you may be prompted to submit additional information including occupation, government ID information, verification photo, date of birth, race/ethnicity, skill interests, and phone number. Upon account creation, we assign you a unique identifying number.
  • Performance of contract
  • Legitimate interests (service provisioning, identity verification, fraud prevention and security, communication)
Profile Data You can also choose to provide profile information like a photo, headline, biography, language, website link, social media profiles, country, or other data. Your Profile Data will be publicly viewable by others.
  • Performance of contract
  • Legitimate interests (enhanced platform functionality, convey content source information)
Shared Content Parts of the Services let you interact with other users or share content publicly, including by uploading courses and other educational content, posting reviews about content, asking or answering questions, sending messages to students or instructors, or posting photos or other work you upload. Such shared content may be publicly viewable by others depending on where it is posted.
  • Performance of contract
  • Legitimate interests (service provisioning, enhanced platform functionality)
Learning Data When you access content, we collect certain data including which courses, assignments, labs, workspaces, and quizzes you’ve started and completed; content and subscription purchases and credits; subscriptions; completion certificates; your exchanges with instructors, teaching assistants, and other students; and essays, answers to questions, and other items submitted to satisfy course and related content requirements.
  • Performance of contract
  • Legitimate interests (service provisioning, enhanced platform functionality)
Student Payment Data If you make purchases, we collect certain data about your purchase (such as your name, billing address, and ZIP code) as necessary to process your order and which may optionally be saved to process future orders. You must provide certain payment and billing data directly to our payment service providers, including your name, credit card information, billing address, and ZIP code. We may also receive limited information, like the fact that you have a new card and the last four digits of that card, from payment service providers to facilitate payments. For security, Udemy does not collect or store sensitive cardholder data, such as full credit card numbers or card authentication data.
  • Performance of contract
  • Legal obligation
  • Legitimate interests (payment facilitation, fraud prevention and security, compliance)
Instructor Payment Data If you are an instructor, you can link your PayPal, Payoneer, or other payment account to the Services to receive payments. When you link a payment account, we collect and use certain information, including your payment account email address, account ID, physical address, or other data necessary for us to send payments to your account. In some instances, we may collect ACH or wire information to send payments to your account. In order to comply with applicable laws, we also work with trusted third parties who collect tax information as legally required. This tax information may include residency information, tax identification numbers, biographical information, and other personal information necessary for taxation purposes. For security, Udemy does not collect or store sensitive bank account information. The collection, use, and disclosure of your payment, billing, and taxation data is subject to the privacy policy and other terms of your payment account provider.
  • Performance of contract
  • Legal obligation
  • Legitimate interests (service provisioning, payment facilitation, fraud prevention and security, compliance)
Data About Your Accounts on Other Services

We may obtain certain information through your social media or other online accounts if they are connected to your Udemy account. If you log in to Udemy via Facebook or another third-party platform or service, we ask for your permission to access certain information about that other account. For example, depending on the platform or service we may collect your name, profile picture, account ID number, login email address, location, physical location of your access devices, gender, birthday, and list of friends or contacts.

Those platforms and services make information available to us through their APIs. The information we receive depends on what information you (via your privacy settings) or the platform or service decide to give us.

If you access or use our Services through a third-party platform or service, or click on any third-party links, the collection, use, and sharing of your data will also be subject to the privacy policies and other agreements of that third party.

  • Legitimate interests (identity verification, user experience improvement)
Sweepstakes, Promotions, and Surveys We may invite you to complete a survey or participate in a promotion (like a contest, sweepstakes, or challenge), either through the Services or a third-party platform. If you participate, we will collect and store the data you provide as part of participating, such as your name, email address, postal address, date of birth, or phone number. That data is subject to this Privacy Policy unless otherwise stated in the official rules of the promotion or in another privacy policy. The data collected will be used to administer the promotion or survey, including for notifying winners and distributing rewards. To receive a reward, you may be required to allow us to post some of your information publicly (like on a winner’s page). Where we use a third-party platform to administer a survey or promotion, the third party’s privacy policy will apply.
  • Performance of contract
  • Legitimate interests (promotions administration, prize delivery, compliance)
Communications and Support If you contact us for support or to report a problem or concern (regardless of whether you have created an account), we collect and store your contact information, messages, and other data about you like your name, email address, messages, location, Udemy user ID, refund transaction IDs, and any other data you provide or that we collect through automated means (which we cover below). We use this data to respond to you and research your question or concern, in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
  • Legitimate interests (customer and technical support)

The data listed above is stored by us and associated with your account.

1.2 Data We Collect through Automated Means

When you access the Services (including browsing content), we collect certain data by automated means, including:

Category of Personal Data Description Legal Basis for Processing
System Data Technical data about your computer or device, like your IP address, device type, operating system type and version, unique device identifiers, browser, browser language, domain and other systems data, and platform types.
  • Performance of contract
  • Legitimate interests (service provisioning, customer and technical support, fraud prevention and security, communication, product improvement)
Usage Data Usage statistics about your interactions with the Services, including content accessed, time spent on pages or the Service, pages visited, features used, your search queries, click data, date and time, referrer, and other data regarding your use of the Services.
  • Legitimate interests (service provisioning, user experience improvement, product improvement)
Approximate Geographic Data An approximate geographic location, including information like country, city, and geographic coordinates, calculated based on your IP address.
  • Legitimate interests (user experience improvement, fraud prevention and security, compliance)

The data listed above is collected through the use of server log files and tracking technologies, as detailed in the “Cookies and Data Collection Tools” section below. It is stored by us and associated with your account.

1.3 Data From Third Parties

If you are a Udemy Business enterprise or corporate prospect, in addition to information you submit to us, we may collect certain business contact information from third-party commercial sources.

2. How We Get Data About You

2.1 Cookies and Data Collection Tools

We use cookies, which are small text files stored by your browser, to collect, store, and share data about your activities across websites, including on Udemy. They allow us to remember things about your visits to Udemy, like your preferred language, and to make the site easier to use. To learn more about cookies, visit https://cookiepedia.co.uk/all-about-cookies. We may also use clear pixels in emails to track deliverability and open rates.

Udemy and service providers acting on our behalf (like Google Analytics and third-party advertisers) use server log files and automated data collection tools like cookies, tags, scripts, customized links, device or browser fingerprints, and web beacons (together, “Data Collection Tools“) when you access and use the Services. These Data Collection Tools automatically track and collect certain System Data and Usage Data (as detailed in Section 1) when you use the Services. In some cases, we tie data gathered through those Data Collection Tools to other data that we collect as described in this Privacy Policy.

2.2 Why We Use Data Collection Tools

Udemy uses the following types of Data Collection Tools for the purposes described:

You can set your web browser to alert you about attempts to place cookies on your computer, limit the types of cookies you allow, or refuse cookies altogether. If you do, you may not be able to use some or all features of the Services, and your experience may be different or less functional. To learn more about managing Data Collection Tools, refer to Section 6.1 (Your Choices About the Use of Your Data) below.

3. What We Use Your Data For

We use the data we collect through your use of the Services to:

4. Who We Share Your Data With

We may share your data with third parties under the following circumstances or as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy:

5. Security

Udemy takes appropriate security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction of your personal data that we collect and store. These measures vary based on the type and sensitivity of the data. Unfortunately, however, no system can be 100% secured, so we cannot guarantee that communications between you and Udemy, the Services, or any information provided to us in connection with the data we collect through the Services will be free from unauthorized access by third parties. Your password is an important part of our security system, and it is your responsibility to protect it. You should not share your password with any third party, and if you believe your password or account has been compromised, you should change it immediately and contact our Support Team with any concerns.

6. Your Rights

6.1 Your Choices About the Use of Your Data

You can choose not to provide certain data to us, but you may not be able to use certain features of the Services.

If you have any questions about your data, our use of it, or your rights, contact us at [email protected].

6.2 Accessing, Updating, and Deleting Your Personal Data

You can access and update your personal data that Udemy collects and maintains as follows:

6.3 Our Policy Concerning Children

We recognize the privacy interests of children and encourage parents and guardians to take an active role in their children’s online activities and interests. Individuals younger than 18 years of age, but of the required age for consent to use online services where they live (for example, 13 in the US or 16 in Ireland), may not set up an account, but may have a parent or guardian open an account and help them access appropriate content. Individuals younger than the required age for consent to use online services may not use the Services. If we learn that we’ve collected personal data from a child under those ages, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

Parents who believe that Udemy may have collected personal data from a child under those ages can submit a request that it be removed to [email protected].

7. Jurisdiction-Specific Rules

7.1 Users in California

Users who are California residents have certain rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, (“CCPA”). If you are an eligible California user, included in these rights are:

CCPA has a specific definition of a “sale” and while Udemy does not, in the traditional sense, sell your personal information or the personal information of any of our users, we do use cookies that make non-personally identifiable information available to select third-parties. To opt out of such a “sale,” click on the “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link at the bottom of this page.

To exercise any of these rights under CCPA, please email [email protected] or write to us at Udemy, Attn: Privacy/Legal Team, 600 Harrison Street, 3rd floor, San Francisco CA 94107. CCPA allows you to designate an authorized agent to make these requests on your behalf. For your protection, we may require that the request be sent through the email address associated with your account, and we may need to verify you and/or your agent’s identity before fulfilling your request.

Additionally, for more information about the personal information we collect and how we collect it, please see the sections above entitled “What Data We Get” and “How We Get Data About You.”

To learn about the business and commercial purposes for which your personal information is collected and the categories of service providers who have access to your personal information, please see the sections above entitled “What We Use Your Data For” and “Who We Share Your Data With.”

As a California resident, you also have the right to request certain details about what personal information we share with third parties for those third parties’ direct marketing purposes. To submit your request, send an email to [email protected] with the phrase “California Shine the Light” and include your mailing address, state of residence, and email address.

Since there is no widely accepted standard for the browser-initiated Do Not Track signal, we do not currently recognize or respond to Do Not Track signals.

7.2 Users in Nevada

Udemy does not sell its users’ personal information or personal data. Nonetheless, Nevada residents have the right to submit a request that we do not sell your covered personal information, which you can do by emailing [email protected] or writing to us at Udemy, Attn: Privacy/Legal Team, 600 Harrison Street, 3rd floor, San Francisco CA 94107.

7.3 Users in Australia

If you are an Australia resident and you have a complaint, you may refer it to the office of the Australian Information Commissioner (“OAIC”). You can contact OAIC by visiting www.oaic.gov.au; forwarding an email to [email protected]; telephoning 1300 363 992; or writing to OAIC at GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001. You may contact our privacy team at [email protected] to make a complaint about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles which will be responded to within 30 days.

7.4 Users in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) and United Kingdom (“UK”)

If you are located in the EEA or UK, you have the right to request access to your data in a portable format and to request the rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, or objection to processing of your personal data. You also have the right to obtain a free copy of the Standard Contractual Clauses referenced in Section 7.5. You may use the information in Section 6.2 to submit your request. Additionally, if you are located in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority.

Personal data is also processed outside of the UK, Switzerland, and the EEA by our Udemy group companies, or our service providers, including to process transactions, facilitate payments, and provide support services as described in Section 4. We use the Controller-to-Processor Standard Contractual Clauses adopted by the European Commission to facilitate transfers of personal data from the EEA to third countries and have entered into data processing agreements with our service providers and Udemy group companies to restrict and regulate their processing of your data. By submitting your data or using our Services, you consent to this transfer, storage, and processing by Udemy and its processors.

7.5 Users Outside of the U.S.

In order to provide the Services to you, we must transfer your data to the United States and process it there. If you are using the Services from outside the United States, you consent to the transfer, storage, and processing of your data in and to the United States or other countries.

8. Updates & Contact Info

8.1 Modifications to This Privacy Policy

From time to time, we may update this Privacy Policy. If we make any material change to it, we will notify you via email, through a notification posted on the Services, or as required by applicable law. We will also include a summary of the key changes. Unless stated otherwise, modifications will become effective on the day they are posted.

As permitted by applicable law, if you continue to use the Services after the effective date of any change, then your access and/or use will be deemed an acceptance of (and agreement to follow and be bound by) the revised Privacy Policy. The revised Privacy Policy supersedes all previous Privacy Policies.

8.2 Interpretation

Any capitalized terms not defined in this policy are defined as specified in Udemy's Terms of Use. Any version of this Privacy Policy in a language other than English is provided for convenience. If there is any conflict with a non-English version, you agree that the English language version will control.

8.3 Questions

If you have any questions, concerns, or disputes regarding our Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact our privacy team (including our Data Protection Officer) at [email protected]. You can also send postal mail to us at Udemy, Attn: Legal, 600 Harrison Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94107.