Individual Course
Course Length
5 weeks
4-5 hours per week
Featuring faculty from:
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Harvard Kennedy School
Certificate Price:
$ 950
Apply by Sep 8, 2025
Apply NowCertificate Price:
$ 950
Apply by Sep 8, 2025
Apply NowExplore legal and ethical implications of one’s personal data, the risks and rewards of data collection and surveillance, and the needs for policy, advocacy, and privacy monitoring, in this Harvard Online course.
Why is data privacy important? Where is the line between the benefits of gathering information for business growth and personal privacy? How can you balance security and surveillance in practice? Should the data gathered about your customers be used to personalize the ads they see and the prices they pay?
Technology isn’t value-neutral. As a decision-maker in your personal and professional life, you may find yourself weighing the benefits and risks of using new and emerging technologies to collect personal data.
As new digital technologies are introduced, they present an ever evolving set of online data protection and privacy challenges for businesses and consumers to face. Data Privacy and Technology will help you think critically about the trade-offs and threats presented by today’s digital landscape.
Instructor-Paced
HBS Online
Industries:
Harvard Case Method Premium Learning
Engage Confidently in Data Privacy Decision-Making
Participate in informed dialogue about data collection, security policies, and the ethical use of personal information. Evaluate the trade-offs between privacy, personalization, and business objectives.
Analyze Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
Explain the evolving definitions of privacy and the conflicts between laws, norms, and technological change. Identify key global regulations and understand their impact on data protection strategies.
Assess Emerging Risks and Future Trends
Examine challenges of data anonymization, algorithmic bias, and the rising threat of deepfakes. Anticipate how evolving technologies will influence privacy, compliance, and consumer trust.
Data Privacy and Technology is a complex and multifaceted concept. This course aims to help you become a better decision maker around data-sharing practices. You will explore data privacy ethics and principles, the risks of data collection and surveillance, and the need for data privacy policy, advocacy, and monitoring. Learning requirements: In order to earn a Certificate of Completion from Harvard Online and Harvard Business School Online, participants must thoughtfully complete all 5 modules, including satisfactory completion of the associated assignments, by stated deadlines.
Faculty
Industry Experts
Your Instructor
Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard
Jim Waldo is the Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard, where he teaches courses in distributed systems and privacy; the Chief Technology Officer for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; and a Professor of Policy teaching on topics of technology and policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Waldo was a Distinguished Engineer with Sun Microsystems Laboratories, where he investigated next-generation, large-scale distributed systems, and got his start in distributed systems at Apollo Computer.
Your Instructor
Michael D. Smith is the John H. Finley, Jr. Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a Distinguished Service Professor at Harvard University. He spent 11 years as the Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, leading Harvard’s oldest and largest school. Smith was actively involved in the launch of edX, and served on its board from 2012 to 2018. Earlier in his career, he spent time in industry building a range of computing hardware for Honeywell Information Systems and, in 2001, co-founded the data security company Liquid Machines, which was acquired in 2010 by Check Point Software Technologies. While at Harvard, he received a prestigious National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award and the Alpha Iota Prize for Excellence in Teaching.
Industry Expert
Hear from a CEO on creating a privacy-forward business and learn more about the cost of privacy-protection.
Industry Expert
Explore the difficulties faced in keeping data anonymous and private with Harvard Professor and Director of the Data Privacy Lab in IQSS at Harvard.
Industry Expert
Learn from a New York Times bestselling author of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” about the complexity of biomedical research and the ethics of informed consent.
The course was informative on both current and future data privacy and technological innovation trends—the need for data privacy without inhibiting innovation. The team and instructors prompt critical thinking while broadening the understanding of data privacy beyond the frontiers.
I love the way the course is structured with real-world examples and the critical thinking sessions. It forces us to reflect upon what is happening around us. People who have an interest in cybersecurity, as well as those that would like to gain more general knowledge, would greatly benefit from this course.
The way the course is designed helped me to interact with my peers and learn from them, expending my perspective about the subjects being discussed. I also feel that I learned more about privacy and data protection in ways that I would never have thought about it if it wasn't for the real-world cases.
The course is especially relevant for anyone who is venturing into a career path centred around data privacy and technology. I also appreciate the interplay between privacy and technology because I got to see just how crucial it is to guard against the innovation of technology that is non-compliant with data privacy laws.
I never thought that I would learn this much from an online course. The critical thinking has been awesome and really improved how I approach privacy issues at work and in my private life.
These courses are curated to help you develop a data-first mindset, improve your digital strategic thinking, and learn how to navigate, manage, and lead in these environments.
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Learners who have enrolled in at least one qualifying Harvard Online program can receive a 30% discount, automatically applied to the Program Fee upon time of payment.
Learners who have earned a verified certificate for a HarvardX course hosted on the edX platform are eligible to receive a 30% discount using a discount code. Please check your email for a code or contact us.
Eligibility is determined by a prospective learner’s email address, ending in .org, .gov, .mil, or .edu. Interested learners can apply below for the discount and, if eligible, will receive a promo code to enter when completing payment information to enroll in a Harvard Online program.
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