Privacy Evaluation for LinkedIn Learning
55%
Overview
Lynda's privacy policy and terms of service indicate that users are able to interact socially with both trusted and untrusted users. While Lynda's terms of service state that the service does remove content that conflicts with their community standards, the service explicitly states that users should be cautious of the content they post to the site. In addition, the terms state data collected is not sold or rented to third parties without the consent of the user. However, the terms state the service can use personal information to provide interest-based advertising and to track and display advertising to users both on and off the Lynda.com sites. While passwords are encrypted, it is unclear as to whether all data in transit and at rest are encrypted. Lastly, the privacy policy clearly indicates that this service is not intended for use by children under the age of sixteen.
Lynda can be accessed through its website, and is available for download at the iOS App Store, Google Play Store, and the Amazon App Store. The Privacy Policy and Website Use Policy used for this evaluation can be found on Lynda's website, iOS App Store, Google Play Store, and the Amazon App Store. Additionally, other policies used for this evaluation include: Cookie Policy. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.
Safety
Lynda's privacy policy and terms of service indicate that users are able to interact socially with both trusted and untrusted users. Users are encouraged to interact with each other through user contributions. While Lynda's terms of service state that the service does remove content that conflicts with their community standards, the service explicitly states that users should be cautious of the content they post to the site. More importantly, Lynda's terms of service state that it is the user's responsibility to remove personal information before posting content to the site.
Privacy
Lynda's privacy policy clearly states that the service collects personal information when a user registers for an account, fills out an online form, participates in a survey, or are otherwise told to provide their personal information. The exact types of personal information collected are unclear; however, the privacy policy indicates that the service collects first and last names, email addresses, and IP addresses for a number of purposes. The terms state data collected is not sold or rented to third parties without the consent of the user. However, the terms state the service can use personal information to provide interest-based advertising and to track and display advertising to users both on and off the Lynda.com sites.
Security
The terms of service and privacy policy for Lynda indicate that users may register for an account, but do not indicate whether an account is necessary to use the service. While passwords are encrypted, it is unclear as to whether all data in transit and at rest are encrypted. Despite this, Lynda states that it uses reasonable security measures to ensure the safety of information collected. Moreover, Lynda's privacy policy does indicate that the service will notify users in the event of a data breach.
Compliance
The privacy policy clearly indicates that this service is not intended for use by children under the age of 16. Schools who choose to use Lynda in the classroom are responsible for obtaining verifiable parental consent for children who are below the age of consent. However, it is unclear what the method of consent is or should be. In addition, the privacy policy indicates that users may access, modify, or delete their data by either accessing their profile page on the site or making a request with the service. Lastly, the service may continue to retain anonymized data after a user has deleted their account and after the specified deletion period for product development purposes.
Rating
- Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
- Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
- Personalised advertising is displayed.
- Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
- User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
- Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.
Data Collection
SCORE: 35%
What data does it collect?
- Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.
- Unclear if the categories of personally identifiable information collected are indicated.
- Unclear whether the collection or use of data is limited to product requirements.
- Geolocation data are collected.
- Unclear whether this product collects biometric or health data.
- Interactions, behaviors, or usage analytics data are collected.
- Unclear whether this product collects sensitive data.
- Data is automatically collected.
- Opt-in consent is requested from users at the time personal information is collected.
- Personal information of users is collected by a third party.
Data Sharing
SCORE: 60%
What data does it share?
- Collected information is shared with third parties.
- The categories of information shared with third parties are indicated.
- The purpose for sharing a user's personal information with third parties is indicated.
- Unclear whether the categories of third parties that receive data are indicated.
- Unclear whether data are shared for analytics.
- Unclear whether data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
- Third-party services are used to support the product.
- The roles of third-party service providers are indicated.
- Unclear whether this product supports third-party login.
- Contractual limits are placed on third-party data use.
Data Security
SCORE: 20%
How does it secure data?
- Unclear whether a user's identity is verified with additional personal information.
- Unclear whether this product requires account creation.
- Unclear whether managed accounts are available.
- Unclear whether multi-factor account protection is available.
- Unclear whether third-parties with access to information are required to provide the same security protections as the company.
- Reasonable security practices are used to protect data.
- Unclear whether this product limits employee or physical access to user information.
- Unclear whether this product encrypts all data in transit.
- Unclear whether all data are stored in an encrypted format.
- Notice is provided in the event of a data breach.
Data Rights
SCORE: 75%
What rights do I have to the data?
- Users can create or upload content.
- Users retain ownership of their data.
- Processes to access or review user data are available.
- Processes to modify data are available for authorized users.
- A data-retention policy is available.
- Processes for authorized users to delete data are available.
- A user's data are deleted upon account cancellation or termination.
- Data are deleted when no longer necessary.
- Unclear whether methods are available to restrict who has access to data.
- Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to download their data.
Data Sold
SCORE: 35%
Is the data sold?
- Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
- Unclear whether users can opt out from the disclosure or sale of their data to a third party.
- User information can be transferred to a third party in the event of a merge, acquisition, or bankruptcy.
- Unclear whether users are notified if their information is transferred to a third party.
- Unclear whether user information can be deleted prior to its transfer to a third party.
- Third-party transfer is contractually required to use the same privacy practices.
- User information that is shared is not shared in an anonymous or de-identified format.
- Unclear whether the company describes their de-identification process of user information.
- Unclear whether data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
- Unclear whether contractual limits prohibit third parties from reidentifying or de-identified information.
Data Safety
SCORE: 30%
How safe is this product?
- Users can interact with trusted users.
- Users can interact with untrusted users, including strangers and/or adults.
- Unclear whether profile information must be shared for social interactions.
- Unclear whether personal information can be displayed publicly.
- Unclear whether this product allows users to control how their data are displayed to others.
- User-created content is reviewed, screened, or monitored by the company.
- User-created content is not filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.
- Unclear whether social interactions between users are moderated.
- Unclear whether social interactions of users are logged.
- Unclear whether users can report abuse or cyberbullying.
Ads & Tracking
SCORE: 35%
Are there advertisements or tracking?
- Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
- Unclear whether this product displays traditional or contextual advertisements.
- Personalised advertising is displayed.
- Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
- User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
- Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.
- Unclear whether this company can send marketing messages.
- The company does provide promotional sweepstakes, contests, or surveys.
- Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to opt-out of contextual, or personalised advertising.
- Unclear whether users can opt out or unsubscribe from marketing communications.
Parental Consent
SCORE: 20%
Can I provide parental consent?
- Not intended for children under 13.
- Personal information from children under 13 years of age is not collected.
- Unclear whether intended for parents or guardians.
- Unclear whether company has actual knowledge that personal information from users under 13 years of age is collected.
- The company does not provide a section, heading, or separate policy for children in their policies.
- Unclear whether parental consent is required before personal information is collected or disclosed.
- Unclear whether this product limits parental consent with respect to third parties.
- Unclear whether this product allows parents to withdraw consent for the further collection of their child's information.
- Unclear whether this product deletes children's personal information if collected without parental consent.
- Unclear whether this product provides parental consent notice and method for submission.
School Purpose
SCORE: 31%
Is the product intended for school?
- Unclear whether intended for students.
- Personal information or education records are not collected from preK-12 students.
- Unclear whether intended for teachers.
- Product is not primarily used by, designed for, and marketed toward students in grades preK–12.
- Processes to enter education records into the product are not described.
- Unclear whether additional rights or protections may be provided with an additional school contract.
- Unclear whether the company is designated as a school official.
- Parental consent obligations are transferred to the school or district.
Individual Control
SCORE: 45%
Can I control the use of my data?
- Users can control the use of their information through privacy settings.
- Use of information is not limited to the purpose for which it was collected.
- The context or purpose for which data are collected is indicated.
- Unclear whether company may combine data with additional data from third-party sources.
- Unclear whether this product treats combined information as personally identifiable information (PII).
- Notice is provided if the context in which data are collected changes.
- Unclear whether consent is obtained if the practices in which data are collected change.
- A grievance or remedy mechanism is available for users to file a complaint.
- Unclear whether users can request to know what personal information has been shared with third parties.
- Unclear whether notice is provided in the event the company receives a government or legal request for a user's information.
Common Sense Standard Privacy Report (SPR)
The standard privacy report (SPR) displays all the privacy practices from a product's policies in a single, easy-to-read outline. The report shows a green check mark for better privacy practices and an orange alert for risky or unclear practices. This alert indicates that more time should be focused on these particular details prior to use.
About Privacy Evaluations
The privacy evaluations have been designed with the help and support of a consortium of schools and districts across the United States. These evaluations are designed to help educators make informed decisions about the potential privacy implications of educational technology used to support teaching and learning.
Our core evaluation criteria will always be freely available. People are encouraged to read the questions we use and our information security primer. Vendors are encouraged to use our questions and the information security primer to self-evaluate. You can also learn more about our evaluation process. Please be in touch with any questions or feedback.