Udemy
- The policy says your content is not used for AI training.
- 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.
Udemy tracks you for ads, takes a broad license on posts, auto-renews paid plans.
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Collected
Account info, courses you take, device IDs, approximate location, cookies, and sometimes partner data.
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Privacy policy
“We also collect some data automatically, like information about your device and what parts of our Services you interact with or spend time using.”
Training
They run the site, personalize, market, and target ads; they say they do not train GenAI on your personal data.
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Privacy policy
“We may process your inputs into our generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) features using GenAI in order to respond to your question or request, but we do not use your personal data to train or fine tune GenAI models.”
Sharing
Instructors, service providers, affiliates, ad networks, and enrichment firms can get some of your data.
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Privacy policy
“We share certain data about you with instructors, other students, companies performing services for us, Udemy Affiliates, our business partners, analytics and data enrichment providers”
Kept
They keep data as long as needed; after you close the account they may still keep some of it.
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Privacy policy
“Even after your account is terminated, we retain your data for as long as we have a legitimate purpose to do so (and in accordance with applicable law)”
Controls
You can close your account in settings, unsubscribe from promo email, and turn off some cookies.
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Privacy policy
“You can update or terminate your account from within our Services and can also contact us for requests about your personal data.”
Fine print
They can ban you without notice; subscriptions auto-renew and usually are not refunded.
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.
Turn off advertising and performance cookies
Cookie Settings or “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link in the site footer
Cancel a subscription before the next bill
Steps on Udemy’s Support Page described in Subscription Terms
Close your account
Student: profile settings page; instructor: linked instructor steps; or Support Team
Opt out of promotional emails
Unsubscribe link in emails or email preferences in your account
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 shut your account whenever they want, even without telling you first.
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Terms of service
“We may restrict or terminate your permission to use our platform and Services or ban your account at any time, with or without notice, for any or no reason”
For example, they could ban you overnight and you might lose access to courses you paid for.
They can reuse and share what you post, including with partners, without paying you.
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Terms of service
“you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, license (with the right to ) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display, and distribute your content”
For example, a review or question you write could be used in ads on other sites.
If you cancel a subscription mid-month, you usually do not get money back.
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Terms of service
“Payments are non-refundable and there are no refunds or credits for partially used periods, unless otherwise required by applicable law.”
For example, canceling a yearly plan after a week typically still costs the full year.
In the US or Canada you cannot join a lawsuit against them.
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Terms of service
“YOU AND UDEMY FURTHER AGREE TO BRING CLAIMS AGAINST EACH OTHER IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY ONLY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING”
For example, if many students were overcharged, you would have to fight your own case.
If your posts or use of the site get them sued, you may have to pay their legal bills.
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Terms of service
“You agree to , defend (if we so request), and Udemy and our officers, directors, suppliers, partners, and agents from and against any third-party claims”
For example, if a review you posted sparks a lawsuit, they can ask you to cover costs.
They and ad partners track how you use the site to show targeted ads elsewhere too.
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Privacy policy
“Advertising: These Data Collection Tools are used to deliver relevant ads (on the site and/or other sites) based on things we know about you like your Usage and System Data”
For example, looking at a Python course could lead to Python ads on other websites.
Analytics and data-enrichment companies can match you with other public records for marketing.
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Privacy policy
“we share certain contact information or data. data means data where we’ve removed things like your name and email address and replaced it with a token ID.”
For example, ZoomInfo might add extra contact details so they can email you more pitches.
They say your personal data is not used to train their generative AI.
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Privacy policy
“we do not use your personal data to train or fine tune GenAI models.”
For example, a question you type to the AI helper should not become training text for the model.
You must be 18 to open your own account; younger teens need a parent’s account.
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Privacy policy
“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”
For example, a 15-year-old in the US cannot sign up alone.
They record how you click around the site unless you turn off Performance cookies.
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Privacy policy
“You may opt out of session replay at any time by adjusting your cookies settings (through the "Cookie Settings" or "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link in the footer of our site)”
For example, they can replay you filling a form, with passwords masked.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- inputs and outputs
- Inputs are what you type, say or upload to an AI; outputs are what it gives back to you. For example, the question you ask a chatbot is an input and its answer is an output, and both may be stored.
- 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.
- affiliates
- Other companies owned by or connected to the same parent company. For example, if you use one app, its sister apps under the same owner may also get your data.
- 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.
- data subject rights
- The legal rights you have over your data, such as seeing it, fixing it, deleting it or moving it. For example, you can email the company and ask for a copy of everything it holds about you.
- 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.
- 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.
- indemnify
- You promise to pay the company's legal costs and losses if your use of the service gets it sued. For example, if you post a song you do not own and the label sues the app, you owe the app's lawyer bills.
- third parties
- Any company or person other than you and the app, such as advertisers, partners or analytics firms. For example, an analytics company that receives a record of every screen you tap is a third party.
- de-identified
- Data with your name and obvious identifiers removed, though it can sometimes still be traced back to you. For example, your chats with names stripped out may still be kept and studied after you delete your account.
- consent
- Your clear agreement to something, given by an action like ticking a box or tapping Accept. For example, a pop-up asking if the app may use your location is asking for consent.
How we got here · grade C · score 42/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 2 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect account and course activity plus device IDs, usage stats, approximate location from IP, cookies, and session replay.
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?
They say they do not use your personal data to train or fine-tune generative AI models.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Not stated in the documents.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
Third-party ad cookies and networks, including Google Ads, are used for targeted ads across sites.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They share with partners, ads, and enrichment firms; California users can opt out of cookie “sale” or sharing.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
You keep ownership, but you grant a worldwide, royalty-free license with sublicense rights to reuse what you post.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
You can close the account in settings, but they may keep data afterward as long as they have a legitimate purpose.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
They personalize and recommend based on your activity; they do not describe viewing or turning off a memory profile.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They say they use appropriate security measures but do not guarantee no unauthorized access.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
You must be 18 to create an account; younger teens may only use a parent’s account. Age is self-declared.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Policies are dated and they say they will notify of material changes, but continued use counts as acceptance and retention is open-ended.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They may ban or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for any or no reason.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
The service is as-is with liability often capped at $100 or 12 months of fees, and you must indemnify them for third-party claims from your use.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
Subscriptions auto-renew; subscription payments are generally non-refundable. One-off courses often have a 30-day refund.
The privacy policy is 7,659 words at a college graduate level (Flesch reading ease 38.5); the terms are 12,039 words at a college level.
