Updated: June 19, 2025
Introduction
TED is a global community that welcomes people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. As a nonprofit organization, TED does not sell personal data or collect information for commercial purposes. Our mission is to share ideas worth spreading—and when we gather information from people who use TED.com, our mobile apps, and related platforms (collectively, the “TED Sites”), we do so to improve your experience and strengthen our connection with the TED community. While we operate certain channels and apps, including our YouTube channel and other apps where TED podcasts are shared, we do not have direct access to personal information of those users, but may track activities that lead to TED Sites so we can learn about what is most compelling to our community.
Due to our nonprofit nature, certain privacy protocols commonly used by commercial organizations, such as data sales or extensive data processor networks, do not apply to TED. While we aim to be transparent and responsible stewards of your data, certain compliance sections, such as those related to data broker disclosures or international processor mappings, may not be relevant or included in this policy.
This privacy policy explains what information we do collect, how we use it, and what steps we take to protect it. It also outlines how to update, change or delete your personal data.
By using TED Sites, you agree to the terms of this privacy policy. If you wish to update your personal information or adjust any specific consent you’ve provided to TED, please contact us at privacy@ted.com.
We collect three (3) types of information:
We collect some information you provide and some information is collected automatically to help personalize your experience when you are on TED sites to understand how TED is being used.
At account application and/or registration, you provide personal information, such as your name, email address, and password, and you have the option to provide other information. If you create an account through a user profile (such as Meta or other social media sites), your information is sent from your profile to be used in accordance with our privacy policy. We also collect information on your site activity when you interact with our site, including favorites, saves, or watching talks, navigating to another part of the site, filling out forms, and conducting searches for content.
We collect basic information you provide when you create a TED.com account or register for a conference. It’s secure, and we’ll never sell it.
When required for TED Conference applications and/or registration, we collect and process your personal information, including your name, address, telephone number, and email address, as well as other preferences such as your profile, photos, workshop choices, and activity preferences. These choices are then stored and accessed by TED from time to time for invitations to TED-related activities that take place during the conference or by TED at other times. TED may share your name and company information with trusted third parties to facilitate such invites and coordinate events in partnership with TED. At times, you may be asked to provide additional information, such as payment details, to complete a secure conference registration process. When you provide your credit card number, it will be shared with verified third parties who perform tasks required to complete the purchase transaction. Only the last four digits will be stored.
We need payment information to complete purchases, and we may share your name and information to finalize the registration process.
When participating in any of TED’s online events (inclusive of Streamyard, Zoom, Linked In, or other platforms), we may collect, process, and in some cases, display your personal information such as your TED profile text, badge information, and photo to highlight, promote or share activity with those also participating in the event. TED may share elements of information with others in the TED community, partners, or future attendees to explain the nature of the different types of interactions that attendees may have during a virtual TED program.
ED shares some personal information collected during a virtual TED event with others to highlight, share and promote the event with others.
personal information including your name, address, telephone number, email address and other preferences, such as profile information, mobile app preferences, activity, and logged information and details, such as prompts and notes collected within the Masterclass mobile app and/or your corresponding TED.com account. No personal payment information is collected, as it is provided directly to the platform provider for TED Masterclass consumers and via your organization for TED Masterclass organizations. In addition, as of November 2022, TED Masterclass was made available via YouTube Courses, which may share generalized geolocation data with TED to understand the breakdown of our community; however, we don’t receive any individualized, personally identifiable information.
This describes how TED collects information through our TED Masterclass app, available online or in app stores. TED may use the information from TED accounts to understand its users, but if accessed via a third-party platform, we only receive general data.
When a TED user is logged into their TED Site, specific data is collected, such as account-related information, and information relating to the user’s watch history, what pages they link to, how they interact with the site, which campaigns they have interacted with and other details to help TED understand its users and overall community.
This describes how TED collects information via our account holders that are logged into TED when a user accesses TED Sites. TED may use the information to understand its users and to provide information about TED content and its community.
When signing up as a member, you agree to donate the specified amount on TED.com. By making the donation, TED processes your payment through a secure third-party provider and does not collect or store your credit card information. We collect your personal information to manage, store, and process member information, including your name and donation amount, so that we can provide a receipt of any donations above $250.00 and send you member-related information such as benefits and virtual events. In addition, we may provide your personal information, such as email address, to selected trusted partners to help us provide the benefits and specified options that are available to members, such as Amazon, Streamyard, Zoom, Fundraise Up, and/or other trusted providers that are provided personal information by TED for membership purposes. Privacy terms for their sites are available and can be reviewed by clicking the link where indicated.
This describes how TED collects information from our member donation page. TED may use the information to understand its members and to provide information about membership benefits.
TED may conduct social science research from time to time related to an interesting idea, topic or concept that TED wishes to explore further, by using information provided directly through surveys or questionnaires. TED’s use of any personal information provided in this manner will be described to you at the time of the request and may include publication if indicated. Your information will not be sold and TED will use the data solely for research purposes, which may include sharing collected data with trusted third parties, such as academic researchers that work with TED on these projects. The data collected during research projects may be published in an aggregated or anonymous form by TED and/or its research partners. In these cases, no personally identifiable information will be included. In addition, depending on the research collected, we may reach out to individuals submitting the information to keep them informed about the progress of the research and for involvement in like-minded efforts related to the topics.
Any personal information you provide for research purposes will not be sold and will be used for the purposes of exploring an idea, topic or concept that TED is researching. Any additional use will be done only with explicit permission.
We offer you opportunities to engage in public activities on TED.com. “Public activities” are any actions you take on TED Sites that are designed to be visible to other users — including comments, participation badges (flairs), profiles, recommendations, and ratings. Your account is public by default. If you choose to engage in public activities, any personal information you upload may be read, collected, or used by third parties. Please refer to the Community Guidelines for guidance on how to best utilize our interactive sites.
We are not responsible for any personally identifiable information you choose to submit in public forums. Information shared here may be used by others, potentially to send you unsolicited messages. If publicly posted information is not consistent with our terms of use, your content may be removed. For more information, see the TED.com Terms of Use.
Any personal information you post publicly is visible to all users. Be mindful of what you share, as we are not responsible for what happens with this information.
While on community sites (such as one powered by Mighty Networks), TED provides a digital network where your postings, comments, or submissions on that site will be visible to other users. Please refer to the Mighty Networks privacy policy to adjust your settings. If you post within that community, any personal information you upload may be read, collected, or used by other community members. Please refer to the About section on the site directly for additional guidelines and information on what is shared, as well as who to reach out to with questions.
TED provides community sites to help our members connect in ways that are engaging but use a third party platform, such as Mighty Networks. This describes how it works and that their privacy policy will apply when posting within that network.
At account application and/or registration, you provide personal information, such as your name, email address, and password, and you have the option to provide other information. If you create an account through a user profile (such as Meta or other social media sites), your information is sent from your profile to be used in accordance with our privacy policy. We also collect information on your site activity when you interact with our site, including favorites, saves, or watching talks, navigating to another part of the site, filling out forms, and conducting searches for content.
We collect basic information you provide when you create a TED.com account or register for a conference. It’s secure, and we’ll never sell it.
When required for TED Conference applications and/or registration, we collect and process your personal information, including your name, address, telephone number, and email address, as well as other preferences such as your profile, photos, workshop choices, and activity preferences. These choices are then stored and accessed by TED from time to time for invitations to TED-related activities that take place during the conference or by TED at other times. TED may share your name and company information with trusted third parties to facilitate such invites and coordinate events in partnership with TED. At times, you may be asked to provide additional information, such as payment details, to complete a secure conference registration process. When you provide your credit card number, it will be shared with verified third parties who perform tasks required to complete the purchase transaction. Only the last four digits will be stored.
We need payment information to complete purchases, and we may share your name and information to finalize the registration process.
When participating in any of TED’s online events (inclusive of Streamyard, Zoom, Linked In, or other platforms), we may collect, process, and in some cases, display your personal information such as your TED profile text, badge information, and photo to highlight, promote or share activity with those also participating in the event. TED may share elements of information with others in the TED community, partners, or future attendees to explain the nature of the different types of interactions that attendees may have during a virtual TED program.
TED shares some personal information collected during a virtual TED event with others to highlight, share and promote the event with others.
personal information including your name, address, telephone number, email address and other preferences, such as profile information, mobile app preferences, activity, and logged information and details, such as prompts and notes collected within the Masterclass mobile app and/or your corresponding TED.com account. No personal payment information is collected, as it is provided directly to the platform provider for TED Masterclass consumers and via your organization for TED Masterclass organizations. In addition, as of November 2022, TED Masterclass was made available via YouTube Courses, which may share generalized geolocation data with TED to understand the breakdown of our community; however, we don’t receive any individualized, personally identifiable information.
This describes how TED collects information through our TED Masterclass app, available online or in app stores. TED may use the information from TED accounts to understand its users, but if accessed via a third-party platform, we only receive general data.
When a TED user is logged into their TED Site, specific data is collected, such as account-related information, and information relating to the user’s watch history, what pages they link to, how they interact with the site, which campaigns they have interacted with and other details to help TED understand its users and overall community.
This describes how TED collects information via our account holders that are logged into TED when a user accesses TED Sites. TED may use the information to understand its users and to provide information about TED content and its community.
When signing up as a member, you agree to donate the specified amount on TED.com. By making the donation, TED processes your payment through a secure third-party provider and does not collect or store your credit card information. We collect your personal information to manage, store, and process member information, including your name and donation amount, so that we can provide a receipt of any donations above $250.00 and send you member-related information such as benefits and virtual events. In addition, we may provide your personal information, such as email address, to selected trusted partners to help us provide the benefits and specified options that are available to members, such as Amazon, Streamyard, Zoom, Fundraise Up, and/or other trusted providers that are provided personal information by TED for membership purposes. Privacy terms for their sites are available and can be reviewed by clicking the link where indicated.
This describes how TED collects information from our member donation page. TED may use the information to understand its members and to provide information about membership benefits.
TED may conduct social science research from time to time related to an interesting idea, topic or concept that TED wishes to explore further, by using information provided directly through surveys or questionnaires. TED’s use of any personal information provided in this manner will be described to you at the time of the request and may include publication if indicated. Your information will not be sold and TED will use the data solely for research purposes, which may include sharing collected data with trusted third parties, such as academic researchers that work with TED on these projects. The data collected during research projects may be published in an aggregated or anonymous form by TED and/or its research partners. In these cases, no personally identifiable information will be included. In addition, depending on the research collected, we may reach out to individuals submitting the information to keep them informed about the progress of the research and for involvement in like-minded efforts related to the topics.
Any personal information you provide for research purposes will not be sold and will be used for the purposes of exploring an idea, topic or concept that TED is researching. Any additional use will be done only with explicit permission.
We offer you opportunities to engage in public activities on TED.com. “Public activities” are any actions you take on TED Sites that are designed to be visible to other users — including comments, participation badges (flairs), profiles, recommendations, and ratings. Your account is public by default. If you choose to engage in public activities, any personal information you upload may be read, collected, or used by third parties. Please refer to the Community Guidelines for guidance on how to best utilize our interactive sites.
We are not responsible for any personally identifiable information you choose to submit in public forums. Information shared here may be used by others, potentially to send you unsolicited messages. If publicly posted information is not consistent with our terms of use, your content may be removed. For more information, see the TED.com Terms of Use.
Any personal information you post publicly is visible to all users. Be mindful of what you share, as we are not responsible for what happens with this information.
While on community sites (such as one powered by Mighty Networks), TED provides a digital network where your postings, comments, or submissions on that site will be visible to other users. Please refer to the Mighty Networks privacy policy to adjust your settings. If you post within that community, any personal information you upload may be read, collected, or used by other community members. Please refer to the About section on the site directly for additional guidelines and information on what is shared, as well as who to reach out to with questions.
TED provides community sites to help our members connect in ways that are engaging but use a third party platform, such as Mighty Networks. This describes how it works and that their privacy policy will apply when posting within that network.
This type of information relates to the number of views each TED Talk receives and the frequency with which TED Talks are saved or favorited. Other areas of the site automatically store non-personal information about the site’s usage, popularity, utilization of features provided on the site (such as games), and positive or negative impact. We perform statistical analyses of site users and their viewing and participation patterns for product development and content curation purposes, as well as to inform advertisers about the nature of our audience.
We keep track of how often our audience engages with TED and do not share detailed contact information with our advertisers.
We may collect non-personal information about the computer, mobile device or other device you use to access TED Sites, such as IP address, geolocation information, unique device identifiers, browser type, browser language and other preferences automatically collected. Also, if using our TED Masterclass app, other personal information, including preferences and uploaded data may be collected and reviewed by TED to understand how you use the app.
We use non-personal information to help us understand how our audience views TED.
TED provides you the ability to change your privacy settings via Privacy Preferences (see the footer link on 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.
We use non-personal information to help us understand how our audience views TED.
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.
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.
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.
We use your data for limited purposes and do not sell it to any third parties. Specific uses are defined below.
We may use the information provided by the TED Community to conduct research with trusted partners to explore ways to enrich fundraising and philanthropic efforts, such as The Audacious Project, Countdown, and other initiatives supported by donor contributions.
We may use the data to fulfill your requests for services and to provide you with relevant information. For example, using your contact information to respond to customer service requests or to facilitate registration for one of our conferences.
We use the data we collect to send email newsletters and information about conferences and TED events (if you have opted in for this information), as well as to enable TED to invite users to provide feedback on their user experience with TED offerings. We may also use the data to send you email communications, such as information about your account, details about a program you may have shown interest in by visiting one of our sites featured in a newsletter, or updates to the site. Additionally, if you subscribe to any email newsletters, please note that we will send you the newsletter you have signed up for and personalize your experience on TED’s site based on your preferences. You will also have the option to unsubscribe at any time.
We may use the data to prevent illegal activities, to enforce the TED.com Terms of Use, or as otherwise required by law.
TED uses trusted vendors, such as Sailthru and CleverTap to help us understand preferences with respect to, podcasts, blog articles, TED Talks, and other available content to determine what is most relevant to users based on their prior behavior, both individually and collectively, to help gauge which content is most relevant while accessing TED content on TED.com, the TED app, or retrieving via email or other channels.
In order to help TED better market on third-party platforms, TED works with third parties to collect information about your use of our website so that TED can provide advertising about TED’s offerings (such as products and services) tailored to your interests, including free educational resources and content recommendations. Advertising may appear on our website, our apps, or other websites.
TED may use programmatic advertising partners to deliver relevant advertising content on TED Sites. This means that, in partnership with trusted third-party platforms, we utilize automated tools to buy and place ads in real-time based on general interests, website usage, or other contextually relevant information. These ads help support our mission by generating revenue that allows TED to continue offering free educational resources and meaningful content to global audiences. As part of this process, limited (aggregated and non-personal) information about your device or browsing behavior may be shared with our advertising partners, in accordance with applicable privacy laws and industry standards. You can learn more about your choices for managing these technologies by visiting our Privacy Preferences link, located in the footer of TED.com.
There are specific requirements outlined in the General Data Protection Regulation that permit TED to process information, provided we meet certain criteria. Some of the processing occurs behind the scenes, and to meet these requirements, TED has evaluated the legitimate interest exception. Based on its criteria, TED has determined that we meet the exception as it relates to processing your data, given the relationship between you and TED. To ensure you are provided with information that benefits you, the TED community, and our broader society, the personal information you submit to TED is processed to maintain our relationship and used to offer you access to a range of ideas that change everything.
In addition to the uses identified above, we may use your personal information for any other purposes disclosed to you at the time we collect your data or pursuant to your consent, such as applications for various TED programs, nomination forms, and requests submitted by users including as defined below.
TED collects and processes personal information related to Countdown to:
TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED collects and processes information to:
TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED collects and processes personal information from related platforms and via third parties that:
TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED collects and processes personal information to:
If you are invited into TED’s Red Circle, TED collects and processes personal information to:
If you accept an invitation to apply to TED’s social science research programs or participate in surveys about new programs being developed, TED collects and processes personal information to:
If you are invited to TED’s community site (such as TEDx Hub or other TED-Ed educators), TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED may invite members to participate in a research program or explore the development of products from TED that are currently in the beta stage. If you are invited to this program, TED collects and processes personal information to:
TED processes information differently depending on how a user submits the information through our TED Sites. For questions, please email privacy@ted.com
As of May 25, 2018, a new privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) goes into effect. As a result, TED has implemented a number of updates in various areas across our organization to ensure we comply with the intent and spirit of the law.
Here is a summary of updates TED has implemented. We have:
As a result of GDPR, TED has made updates to various parts of our organization to ensure we comply with the spirit and intent of the law and enhance our privacy practices.
To protect and prevent unauthorized access to your personal information, maintain data accuracy, prevent accidental loss, destruction, damage or theft of data, TED implements and maintains security and organizational measures with commercially reasonable physical, technical and administrative controls. Please note that no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.
Remember, when linking to a third-party site from TED.com, we do not control the privacy policies of other parties. Please check their terms before browsing on those sites to ensure you agree with them.
This describes how TED protects data overall, the changes we have to our privacy policy over time; and offers you options to change how TED sees your data with respect to privacy settings and advertising.
To protect and prevent unauthorized access to your personal information, maintain data accuracy, prevent accidental loss, destruction, damage or theft of data, TED implements and maintains security and organizational measures with commercially reasonable physical, technical and administrative controls. Please note that no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.
Remember, when linking to a third-party site from TED.com, we do not control the privacy policies of other parties. Please check their terms before browsing on those sites to ensure you agree with them.
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
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.
To learn how to deactivate your TED.com account, please refer to these guidelines. 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 with your request, and we will respond promptly.
You can manage your privacy preferences directly on TED.com by clicking the “Privacy Preferences” link at the bottom of any page. If you prefer not to receive advertising based on your browsing behavior, interests, or general location, you can opt out of personalized ads and receive only generic ads. To learn more or opt out of interest-based advertising, visit the following resources:
These tools let you manage how your information is used for advertising by participating companies.
This describes how TED protects data overall, the changes we have to our privacy policy over time; and offers you options to change how TED sees your data with respect to privacy settings and advertising.
