Privacy Policy

TED's privacy policy update removes a sentence that named the specific third parties it shares data with for analytics and ad optimization (Sailthru, Mixpanel, ComScore, VWO, Hubspot, Google Analytics, Meta, TikTok, Google, LinkedIn), replacing it with a new detailed section on tracking pixels used in emails, notifications, and web pages. The new section explains which pixels need your consent and which don't, but also replaces the old self-service opt-out with an email-only request process for pixel consent changes. A duplicate 'Location information' section had a stray typo fixed, and the changelog was reformatted with a new entry describing this update.

Specific ad and analytics partners no longer namedTED used to tell you by name which companies it shares data with for site analytics and to…

TED used to tell you by name which companies it shares data with for site analytics and to optimize ads (Sailthru, Mixpanel, ComScore, VWO, Hubspot, Google Analytics, Meta, TikTok, Google, LinkedIn). That sentence was deleted. The sharing itself may still be happening under the general language that remains, but you've lost visibility into exactly who gets your information.

“We may use conversion APIs to inform sites that we work with, helping them optimize ad campaigns that may be run on our behalf on platforms such as Meta, TikTok, Google, and LinkedIn.”

What you can do — If you want to know exactly which companies receive your data, email privacy@ted.com and ask for the current list of analytics and advertising partners.

DATA SHARING

Tracking pixels now explicitly cover notifications, not just emailsTED clarified that invisible tracking pixels are embedded not only in emails but also in…

TED clarified that invisible tracking pixels are embedded not only in emails but also in notifications and web pages to detect when you open or view content, including in some cases reading your individual engagement for advertising purposes.

“TED uses tracking pixels - small, often invisible files embedded in emails, notifications, and web pages that tell us when content has been opened or viewed”

What you can do — In countries where consent is required, you can decline pixel-based tracking; otherwise you can email privacy@ted.com to ask about your options.

DATA COLLECTION

No self-service option to change pixel consentInstead of a toggle or settings page, you now have to email TED's privacy team directly to…

Instead of a toggle or settings page, you now have to email TED's privacy team directly to change your consent preferences for tracking pixels, which is a slower and less convenient process.

“To make changes to your consent preferences, please reach out to privacy@ted.com for support.”

What you can do — Email privacy@ted.com to change your tracking pixel consent preferences.

OTHER

20260802_rev01 → 20261003_rev01COLOUR MARKS THE SEVERITY OF A FLAGGED CLAUSE · + AND − MARK ADDED AND REMOVED

ALSO IN THIS CHANGE, NOT TIED TO ONE LINE

+ ADDEDNew email-based process for managing pixel consent
To change your consent choices about tracking pixels, you now have to email TED's privacy team directly instead of using a self-service control.
To make changes to your consent preferences, please reach out to privacy@ted.com for support.

 ##### Privacy Preferences
 TED provides you the ability to change your privacy settings via Privacy Preferences (see the footer link on [www.ted.com](https://www.ted.com/)) to adjust the types of cookies that are collected by TED.com. While this may impact your user experience, you do have the option of turning certain cookies off.
 ##### Tracking usage
+We use various technologies, such as Sailthru, Mixpanel, ComScore, VWO, Hubspot, and Google Analytics, to help manage TED Sites, track the use of the content we provide, and understand how our audiences are using our TED Sites. We may use conversion APIs to inform sites that we work with, helping them optimize ad campaigns that may be run on our behalf on platforms such as Meta, TikTok, Google, and LinkedIn. We occasionally use tracking pixels on a limited basis, all with the goal of growing our community and sharing ideas more widely.
+To help improve TED Sites for our users, TED also generates first-party cookies and self-hosted tracking scripts to track usage on TED Sites. Collectively, the technologies we use across TED Sites include the following. We do not sell this information to any third party, but may provide information to partners that assist us in updating, managing, or maintaining our websites.
+To help improve TED Sites for our users, TED also generates first-party cookies and self-hosted tracking scripts to track usage on TED Sites. We do not sell this information to any third party, but may provide information to partners that assist us in updating, managing, or maintaining our websites. Collectively, the technologies we use across TED Sites include the following.
 - standard web analytics information
 - behavioral and programmatic advertising, which allows third parties to set cookies to help TED support its mission through partner advertising
 - aggregated data about email click-through rates and video viewing
 - data collected through HTML cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies
 - demographics and other details to help us customize our sites based on your preferences
 - * *
 ###### We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience. We do not sell data collected from cookies to any third party, but may provide information to partners to help us update and maintain our website and other sites.
 - * *
+##### Location information
+##### How TED uses tracking pixels
+We may collect and use your location data (such as your country and applicable city or region) to provide a tailored, language-specific experience, but we don't collect any precise geolocation-specific data from you or your device. You can change the settings on your computer or mobile device to prevent your location data from being shared. If you wish to opt out of tracking and cookies, please manage your privacy settings on your browser or from TED's footer, or select other ways to turn off cookies and/or ad features.
+TED uses tracking pixels - small, often invisible files embedded in emails, notifications, and web pages that tell us when content has been opened or viewed - for two distinct purposes:
+Pixels that require your consent. In countries that require consent, certain pixels that track your engagement, or advertising involving reading information about your individual engagement may not be permitted. In these countries, we will either modify our emails to refrain from including pixels or ask for your consent before using pixels for these purposes, and this consent is separate from, and does not replace, your consent to receive TED communications generally.
+Pixels that do not require consent. In countries that do not yet require consent, and in countries that do, there are a set of pixels that are used to operate our services - such as confirming an account or login email reached the intended recipient, identifying inactive or invalid addresses (so we can stop emailing people who no longer wish to hear from us (and maintain deliverability for everyone else), or demonstrating that we've provided information we are legally required to send you.
+To make changes to your consent preferences, please reach out to [privacy@ted.com](mailto:privacy@ted.com) for support.
 - * *
+###### We collect information about your location to provide you with the most localized experience possible, but we never collect data specific to your precise location from your device.
+###### TED may use pixels to help us understand whether our emails are delivered, but due to new laws, we may need consent for certain marketing purposes.
 - * *
 ##### Location information
+We may collect and use your location data (such as your country and applicable city or region) to provide a tailored, language-specific experience, but we don't collect any precise geolocation-specific data from you or your device. You can change the settings on your computer or mobile device to prevent your location data from being shared. If you wish to opt out of tracking and cookies, please manage your privacy settings on your browser or from TED's footer, or select other ways to turn off cookies and/or ad features.
+We may collect and use your location data (such as your country and applicable city or region) to provide a tailored, language-specific experience, but we don't collect any precise geolocation-specific data from you or your device. You can change the settings on your computer or mobile device to prevent your location data from being shared. If you wish to opt out of tracking and cookies, please manage your privacy settings on your browser or from TED's footer, or select other ways to turn off cookies and/or ad features.
 - * *
 ###### We collect information about your location to provide you with the most localized experience possible, but we never collect data specific to your precise location from your device.
 - * *
 ##### Under age children
 We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If we learn that we have collected any personal information from a child under the age of 13 or under the age of 16 from the European Union without verifiable parental consent, we will delete it from our database as quickly as possible. If you believe that we may have collected information from an under age child, please contact us at [privacy@ted.com](mailto:privacy@ted.com)
 ##### Changes to this privacy policy
+This privacy policy may be updated from time to time. When the policy is updated, the version date will be displayed at the top of this policy. If we make material changes, you will be notified here for a period of 30 - 60 days based on our last update. As of July 2016, we added information to our privacy policy to define cookies and outline how we use this data to optimize our website based on your preferences, and made a change to our policy update section. As of May 2018, we added information to our privacy policy based on new requirements from GDPR, including more details pertaining to: what type of personal information TED collects, how TED uses this information and a process in which users can update their information. As of February, 2019, we added details on how TED uses cookies to help TED with targeted marketing on third party platforms, such as Facebook, as well as information on how to deactivate cookies when browsing the TED website based on industry tools and sites that help you personalize your settings with respect to cookies and advertising. As of September 13, 2019, we added details pertaining to the TED Masterclass app which collects information from users, and is separately available through an organizational license or directly for consumers via a platform where the TED Masterclass app is available. As of December, 2019, we added details pertaining to TED's Countdown conference and launch. As of February 19, 2020, we added details pertaining to TED's Red Circle community and hosting TED Circles. As of March 19, 2020, we added details regarding how TED enables users to find relevant videos on YouTube to integrate into TED Ed lessons and included Google's privacy policy for information on how they process personal information. As of May 14, 2020, we updated the policy to include how we manage data with respect to subscriptions to TED and TED's online browser extension for the Healthy Internet Project. As of September 2, 2020, we updated the policy to include how we manage data with respect to donations by TED subscribers. As of December 6, 2020, we updated the policy to describe how we manage data related to social science research conducted by TED. As of March 3, 2021, we added details on how TED uses cookies to help TED with targeted marketing on LinkedIn and updated how we collect data from individuals who sign up as a members to TED.com. As of September 8, 2021, we provided information related to TED's membership communities that are powered by the Mighty Network platform, and included updates such as a reference to their privacy policy and explained how we use data from this platform. As of January 10, 2022, we updated our policy to define how we collect information for our TED Courses beta program. As of March 3, 2022, TED updated our cookie disclosures and provided a new way for visitors of TED.com to adjust their privacy preferences. As of March 14 , 2022, we updated our Tracking Usage description to clarify how we collect and analyze data, including adding how we use pixels, share data with Mixpanel and how TED utilizes its own first party cookies to help us track usage on TED and update our communication disclosure to include collecting feedback from users of TED offerings. As of June 6, 2022, we updated our Personalization section to describe TED's use of Sailthru, a third party vendor to help TED understand our users. As of July 29, 2022, TED has added language regarding TED's use of personal data as it pertains to a legitimate business purpose as defined under GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation. As of April 4, 2023, TED updated the "How we use your data" section to add "Learning about our community" explaining how we use the data provided by TED Community members to conduct research to help improve our fundraising efforts. As of July 5, 2023, TED updated the "Speaker community site (Red Circle)" section to "Speaker community (Red Circle)" as the digital platform is no longer in use. As of March 1, 2024, TED updated the Communications section to include a description that TED will send specific, programmed newsletters to subscribers who provide their email address. As of July 10, 202,4 we added that with respect to Member information, we intend to share certain information to provide benefits to members, including specific third-party trusted vendors. As of December 4, 2024, TED included information in the Communication section regarding the sending of TED users' information about related programs, in case they visit certain pages on our site from our newsletters. As of June 19, 2025, TED updated its privacy policy to remove inactive sections (TED Courses, TED Circles, etc.) and also to modify descriptions of how TED uses certain analytics to personalize preferences and third party partners that we use to help us learn more about our subscribers; and better define how we track usage of TED's sites. We also added a more comprehensive index of deactivating targeted advertising below and posted a link to guidelines on how to delete your TED account below.
+This privacy policy may be updated from time to time. When the policy is updated, the version date will be displayed at the top of this policy. If we make material changes, you will be notified here for a period of 30 - 60 days based on our last update.
+As of July 2016, we added information to our privacy policy to define cookies and outline how we use this data to optimize our website based on your preferences, and made a change to our policy update section.
+As of May 2018, we added information to our privacy policy based on new requirements from GDPR, including more details pertaining to: what type of personal information TED collects, how TED uses this information and a process in which users can update their information.
+As of February, 2019, we added details on how TED uses cookies to help TED with targeted marketing on third party platforms, such as Facebook, as well as information on how to deactivate cookies when browsing the TED website based on industry tools and sites that help you personalize your settings with respect to cookies and advertising.
+As of September 13, 2019, we added details pertaining to the TED Masterclass app which collects information from users, and is separately available through an organizational license or directly for consumers via a platform where the TED Masterclass app is available.
+As of December, 2019, we added details pertaining to TED's Countdown conference and launch.
+As of February 19, 2020, we added details pertaining to TED's Red Circle community and hosting TED Circles.
+As of March 19, 2020, we added details regarding how TED enables users to find relevant videos on YouTube to integrate into TED Ed lessons and included Google's privacy policy for information on how they process personal information.
+As of May 14, 2020, we updated the policy to include how we manage data with respect to subscriptions to TED and TED's online browser extension for the Healthy Internet Project.
+As of September 2, 2020, we updated the policy to include how we manage data with respect to donations by TED subscribers.
+As of December 6, 2020, we updated the policy to describe how we manage data related to social science research conducted by TED.
+As of March 3, 2021, we added details on how TED uses cookies to help TED with targeted marketing on LinkedIn and updated how we collect data from individuals who sign up as a members to TED.com.
+As of September 8, 2021, we provided information related to TED's membership communities that are powered by the Mighty Network platform, and included updates such as a reference to their privacy policy and explained how we use data from this platform.
+As of January 10, 2022, we updated our policy to define how we collect information for our TED Courses beta program.
+As of March 3, 2022, TED updated our cookie disclosures and provided a new way for visitors of TED.com to adjust their privacy preferences.
+As of March 14 , 2022, we updated our Tracking Usage description to clarify how we collect and analyze data, including adding how we use pixels, share data with Mixpanel and how TED utilizes its own first party cookies to help us track usage on TED and update our communication disclosure to include collecting feedback from users of TED offerings.
+As of June 6, 2022, we updated our Personalization section to describe TED's use of Sailthru, a third party vendor to help TED understand our users.
+As of July 29, 2022, TED has added language regarding TED's use of personal data as it pertains to a legitimate business purpose as defined under GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation.
+As of April 4, 2023, TED updated the "How we use your data" section to add "Learning about our community" explaining how we use the data provided by TED Community members to conduct research to help improve our fundraising efforts.
+As of July 5, 2023, TED updated the "Speaker community site (Red Circle)" section to "Speaker community (Red Circle)" as the digital platform is no longer in use.
+As of March 1, 2024, TED updated the Communications section to include a description that TED will send specific, programmed newsletters to subscribers who provide their email address.
+As of July 10, 2024 we added that with respect to Member information, we intend to share certain information to provide benefits to members, including specific third-party trusted vendors.
+As of December 4, 2024, TED included information in the Communication section regarding the sending of TED users' information about related programs, in case they visit certain pages on our site from our newsletters.
+As of June 19, 2025, TED updated its privacy policy to remove inactive sections (TED Courses, TED Circles, etc.) and also to modify descriptions of how TED uses certain analytics to personalize preferences and third party partners that we use to help us learn more about our subscribers; and better define how we track usage of TED's sites. We also added a more comprehensive index of deactivating targeted advertising below and posted a link to guidelines on how to delete your TED account below.
+As of September 2026, TED updated its policy to clarify how we use tracking pixels in emails, notifications, and on TED Sites; to distinguish between pixel uses that require your consent and the narrow set that are strictly necessary to operate our services.
 ##### Deactivating your account and managing privacy settings
 To learn how to deactivate your TED.com account, please refer to these [guidelines](https://help.ted.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041043054-How-do-I-delete-my-TED-com-account). You can request that your account be deactivated at any time by contacting us. Please note that once your account is deactivated, your user profile and all public activities (such as comments) will be removed. You can also manage who can view your TED.com profile activity in the Privacy tab of your profile's account settings. To unsubscribe from our newsletter(s), click on the link at the bottom of the newsletter you have received, or if you have a TED Account, you can manage your newsletter subscriptions from your TED.com interest center. For any other changes to your personal data, please contact [privacy@ted.com](mailto:privacy@ted.com) with your request, and we will respond promptly.
 ##### Deactivating target advertising