Adobe & Student Privacy
Learn how Adobe complies with laws, regulations and best practices related to the privacy of student data.
Last updated: July 21, 2021
Adobe products, apps, and services help students communicate their ideas in more creative and engaging ways — so they can make the world take notice. As schools and universities around the globe are confronted with an ever-expanding array of privacy laws, however, it can be challenging for schools to determine whether Adobe solutions comply with local student privacy requirements.
This page is designed to help you understand – in plain language – the student privacy commitments we make to you, which may vary based on how you deploy Adobe solutions in your school or university. We also answer some of the most common student privacy questions we receive in the U.S., the EU, and elsewhere.
One Adobe. Multiple ways to deploy.
The identity solution you choose makes all the difference. Adobe offerings can be deployed on one of three types of identity solutions: (1) a general consumer ID (which we call an Adobe ID), (2) an Enterprise ID, or (3) a Federated ID.
Note that general Adobe IDs are appropriate only for Higher Education settings. Because K-12 students require additional protections, Primary and Secondary schools should deploy on either Enterprise or Federated IDs in order to apply the appropriate protections. Learn more about Adobe’s eligibility guidelines to qualify as a Primary or Secondary school.
Schools control accounts and content with Enterprise or Federated IDs – not Adobe. Adobe provides the Adobe Student Services on the school’s behalf.
Any student data gathered is for the use and benefit of the school and used for no other commercial purpose other than operating or improving the products and services the school has licensed.
Where an Adobe ID is deployed, Adobe cannot agree to act as a “school official” for FERPA purposes as our user agreement is with the individual user, not with the school, and the use of the Adobe products and services are governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
However, these users receive protections similar to those outlined in FERPA (i.e., Adobe provides commercially reasonable security and will not share personal data except at the user’s direction or as outlined in our Privacy Policy).
Subject to the school's acceptance of the Data Processing Agreement, Adobe is the Processor and the school is the Controller for GDPR purposes. As a Processor for the school, Adobe gives schools the tools they need to promptly respond to account data access, correction and deletion requests submitted to the school by students or their parents. Schools are empowered to access, correct and delete accounts and stored content.
Learn more about Adobe’s GDPR readiness.
Adobe will respond to data access, correction and deletion requests about Adobe ID user account information made by an authenticated user within the time period required by the GDPR.
Adobe ID users can self-access and delete their own stored content.
Learn more about Adobe’s GDPR readiness.
Adobe may share Adobe ID users’ personal information with third parties in the ways described in our Privacy Policy.
Adobe works with third party companies that help us run our business. These companies provide services such as delivering customer support, processing credit card payments, and sending emails on our behalf. In some cases, these companies have access to some of an Adobe ID user’s personal information in order to provide services to that user on our behalf. These companies are not permitted to use this information for their own purposes.
Adobe may perform analytics and utilize machine learning technologies in limited circumstances solely to support our internal operations and to analyze and improve the student services, consistent with the terms of our agreement with the school.
Any student data gathered is for the use and benefit of the school and used for no other commercial purpose other than operating or improving the products and services the school has licensed.