Codecademy
- The documents do not say whether your data trains AI.
- Your data is used for personalized ads, including by third-party ad companies.
- Data is shared with partners and affiliates; you can opt out.
- The documents do not say who can read your content.
Broad tracking and ads, a license on your posts, auto-renew with no refunds.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
Collected
Account info, course work, messages, device IDs, usage, contacts, location, and data from brokers.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Data brokers or resellers from which we purchase data to supplement the data we collect.”
Training
They run the site, market to you, and run interest-based and matched ads with Google and Facebook.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Some of these tracking technologies may track your activities across time and services for purposes of associating the different devices you use, and delivering relevant ads”
Sharing
Service providers, ad vendors, affiliates, schools, partners, and sometimes the public if you post.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“We share information with vendors for business and commercial purposes, including analytics and advertising technology companies.”
Kept
They do not say a clear keep-until date; they keep data as needed for law, disputes, and contracts.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Please note that we will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.”
Controls
You can edit some account data, via a privacy hub, and opt out of some ads.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“You may request information about the data we collected, solicit we delete your personal information, or mange your settings regarding your personal information.”
Fine print
No , auto-renew with no refunds, and they can close you anytime.
No exact line could be verified.
Expand “Read the exact line” to see the source alongside the explanation.
What you can turn off
The controls and opt-outs their own documents describe, and where they say to find them.
Cancel auto-renew before the next bill
Manage Payments section of Account Settings on codecademy.com
or a copy of your data
Online privacy hub or Help Center (they confirm within 10 days)
Opt out of sale / matched ads if available
Do Not Sell My Personal Information link, or contact Help Center and specify matched ads
Turn off interest-based ads in browser/device
aboutads.info/choices, NAI choices, Google ads settings, or Limit Ad Tracking on your phone
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
They can keep using, changing, and sharing what you post forever, even after you leave.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“you expressly grant, and you represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to grant, to Codecademy a , , transferable, , , non-exclusive, worldwide license”
For example, a comment or project you posted could still be used in their marketing years later.
You cannot sue in court with a group of other users.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“ALL CLAIMS MUST BE BROUGHT IN THE PARTIES’ INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED ”
For example, if many people were overcharged, you could not join a .
Subscriptions keep charging until you cancel, and you do not get money back for unused time.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You may cancel your Codecademy account at any time; however, there are no partial or pro-rata refunds for cancellation.”
For example, if you cancel a yearly plan after a month, you still paid for the whole year.
They can shut your account at any time without warning, even if you did nothing wrong.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We may permanently or temporarily terminate or suspend your access to the Service without notice and for any reason, including if in our sole determination you violate any provision of this Agreement, or for no reason.”
For example, you could lose access to courses you paid for overnight with no email first.
If someone sues them over something you did on the site, you may have to pay their legal bills.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You agree to and Codecademy and its subsidiaries, agents, licensors, managers, and other affiliated companies”
For example, if a comment you posted caused a lawsuit, they could ask you to cover their lawyers.
They buy extra information about you from companies that sell data.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Data brokers or resellers from which we purchase data to supplement the data we collect.”
For example, a broker list could add details they never asked you for on the signup form.
They send identifiers to ad platforms so you can be targeted on other sites.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“we incorporate the Facebook pixel on our Service and may share your email address with Facebook as part of our use of Facebook Custom Audiences.”
For example, after you study on Codecademy, you might see their ads in your Facebook feed.
If you use invite features, they take your friends’ names, emails, and phones.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Personal Contacts Data, including the first and last name, email address, and phone number of your personal contacts.”
For example, uploading contacts to find classmates would send those emails to Codecademy.
They treat some ad sharing as a possible “sale” and let California users opt out.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“To the extent Codecademy sells your personal information as the term “sell” is defined under the , you have the right to opt-out of the sale”
For example, a California user can click Do Not Sell My Personal Information.
They say they use ordinary security measures but do not promise they cannot be hacked.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Codecademy uses commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security safeguards designed to preserve the integrity and security of all information collected through the Service.”
For example, they describe safeguards but still say no system is 100% safe.
You still own your posts, even though you give them a very wide license to use them.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“We claim no ownership rights over User Content created by you. The User Content you create remains yours”
For example, your code exercise still belongs to you, but they can reuse it for the service and business.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- data broker
- A company that buys, collects and resells information about people, usually without ever meeting them. For example, your phone number and shopping habits can be sold as part of a list to a company you never heard of.
- tracking pixels
- Tiny invisible images or bits of code in a page, app or email that report back when and where you opened it. For example, a pixel in a marketing email tells the sender the moment you read it.
- service providers
- Outside companies that handle your data on the app's instructions, such as a cloud host or an email sender. For example, the company that stores the app's files in the cloud sees your data but only does what the app tells it.
- retention
- How long a company keeps your data before deleting it. For example, a policy might keep your messages for 30 days after you delete them, or for as long as it likes.
- personal data
- Any information that is about you or can be linked to you, from your name to your phone's ID. For example, your email, your IP address and the list of apps on your phone are all personal data.
- royalty-free
- The company can use your content without ever paying you for it. For example, your photo can appear in the app's ads and you get nothing.
- sublicensable
- The company can pass its rights over your content on to other companies without asking you. For example, an app can let an advertiser or a partner reuse your video under the licence you gave.
- perpetual
- Lasting forever, with no end date. For example, a perpetual licence means the company can keep using your video years after you leave.
- irrevocable
- Cannot be taken back or cancelled once given, even if you change your mind or delete your account. For example, an irrevocable licence to your photos means you cannot withdraw it later.
- worldwide license
- You let the company use your content anywhere on earth, usually for free and for as long as it likes. For example, a video you post can be shown in ads in any country without asking you again.
- class action waiver
- You agree not to join with other users in one lawsuit; each person must complain alone. For example, if a bug overcharges a million people, you cannot all sue together for a refund.
- limitation of liability
- A cap on what the company will ever pay you if something goes wrong, often only what you paid in the last year. For example, if a leak of your data costs you thousands, the most you may get back is a month's subscription fee.
How we got here · grade F · score 32/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 3 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect more than account and course work: contacts, precise location with consent, device IDs, ads IDs, and data purchased from brokers.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
Not stated in the documents.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
Not stated in the documents.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Not stated in the documents.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They use Google Analytics, Facebook pixels, interest-based ads, and matched audiences, including sharing email with Facebook.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with partners, affiliates, and ad vendors and treat some ad activity as a CCPA “sale” you can opt out of.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You own your content, but you grant a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable worldwide license for their business.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You request deletion through a privacy hub or Help Center; they still keep data needed for law, disputes, and contracts, with no 30-day promise.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They store profile interests, inferences, and learning progress for things like job reports, without a described memory on/off control.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They describe commercially reasonable admin, technical, and physical safeguards, and say they cannot guarantee 100% security.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
You must be 16 or older; under 18 should have a parent agree. There is no described age-proofing beyond that.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Both documents are dated. They update a last-modified date; continued use of the terms counts as acceptance, with little detail on retention periods.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may suspend or terminate access without notice for any reason or no reason, and you stay bound by the terms.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is, liability is capped at what you paid or $100, and you must indemnify them for claims related to your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Subscriptions renew automatically. You can cancel in Account Settings, but they say there are no partial or pro-rata refunds.
The privacy policy is 7,202 words at a college level (Flesch reading ease 40.6); the terms are 7,282 words at a college graduate level.
