When you run an online course, course platform compliance, the set of legal and ethical rules that govern how you collect, store, and use learner data. Also known as eLearning compliance, it's not optional—it's the foundation of trust between you and your students. If you’re collecting names, emails, payment info, or even browsing behavior, you’re handling personal data. And that means you’re subject to laws like GDPR, the European Union’s strict data protection rule that applies to anyone teaching EU residents, CCPA, California’s law giving residents control over their data, and LGPD, Brazil’s similar framework that’s growing in relevance as global learners join your courses. These aren’t just foreign regulations—they’re global standards that impact anyone with an online audience.
Compliance isn’t about installing a plugin and forgetting it. It’s about knowing what data you collect, why you need it, and how long you keep it. Are you storing student essays? Recording live sessions? Tracking how long someone watches a video? Each of those actions triggers specific legal obligations. And if you use third-party tools—like payment processors, analytics dashboards, or email platforms—you’re responsible for making sure they’re compliant too. A single misstep can mean fines up to 4% of your revenue, loss of student trust, or even being blocked from major marketplaces. But the real cost? Your reputation. Students today know their rights. They’ll walk away if they feel their data is being treated like a commodity.
What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t theory. It’s real, actionable guidance from people who’ve navigated these rules. You’ll see how to build a compliant system without hiring a lawyer, how to simplify privacy policies so students actually read them, and how to choose tools that already meet global standards. Whether you’re a solo instructor or running a full course platform, these articles give you the clarity you need to protect your students—and your business—without getting lost in legal jargon.
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