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Individual Course

Data Privacy and Technology

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Course Length

5 weeks

4-5 hours per week

Featuring faculty from:

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences LogoHarvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Harvard Kennedy School LogoHarvard Kennedy School

Certificate Price:

$ 950

Enroll by Jun 4, 2026

Enroll Now

Certificate Price:

$ 950

Enroll by Jun 4, 2026

Enroll Now

Explore 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.

Self-Guided

Harvard Online

Industries:

  • Technology
  • Financial Services
  • Health Care
  • Government
  • Joanita N.
  • Anand N.
  • Camilla de C.

Global Learning Community

  • Learn from real case studies
  • Do it on your own time
  • Get a certificate, add it to your resume
  • Be part of the Harvard Community
Data Science for Business values

Course Syllabus

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.

Download Full Syllabus

Faculty

Industry Experts

Your Instructor

Jim Waldo

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

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

Andy Yen

CEO of Proton

Hear from a CEO on creating a privacy-forward business and learn more about the cost of privacy-protection.

Industry Expert

Latanya Sweeney

Director of the Data Privacy Lab in IQSS at Harvard

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

Rebecca Skloot

Author

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.

Joanita N.

Founder

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.

Anand N.

Account Executive

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.

Camilla de C.

Corporate Paralegal and Governance Specialist

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.

Giscard K.

Privacy Consultant

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.

Sofia S.

Principal Data Privacy Specialist

Harvard on Digital helped me improve my analytical skills and understand how to enhance data analysis for digital campaigns, as well as evaluate their performance.

Estefania C.

Associate Manager

This has been the most rewarding course in my educational career, giving me clarity about the path I want to pursue while strengthening my role as a public servant.

Melina Cruz

Melina C.

Program Analyst & Data Lead

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Past Participant Discounts

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.

Nonprofit, Government, Military, and Education Discounts

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. 

Apply for Discount

FAQs

Once you've earned your Certificate of Completion, list it on your resume along with the date of completion:

Harvard Online

Certificate in Data Privacy and Technology

[Cohort Start Month and Year]

List your certificate on your LinkedIn profile under "Education" as follows:

School: Harvard Online

Dates Attended: [The year you participated in the program]

Degree: Other; Certificate in Data Privacy and Technology

Field of Study: Leave blank

Grade: Complete

Activities and Societies: Leave blank

For the program description on LinkedIn, please use the following:

Data Privacy and Technology is a Harvard Online course that encourages learners to think critically about the trade-offs and challenges presented by the ever-changing role of technology. Learners explore 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.

You are expected to complete all coursework in a thoughtful and timely way. This includes completing the modules and fully answering the questions in each module between the course start and end dates so that the cohort can move through the course at a similar pace and benefit from social learning opportunities.

You can set your own daily or weekly routine and adjust it as needed, but to receive your certificate you must complete all modules and assignments by the stated course end date.

In addition to completing modules and assignments, you are expected to provide feedback on other learners’ reflections and contribute to discussions on the platform. Learners who do not complete the course requirements will not receive a certificate and will not be eligible to retake the course. No letter grades are assigned for this course; your participation is evaluated on a complete or incomplete basis.

For detailed information about technology and bandwidth requirements, please see our full Harvard Online FAQs.

There is no application required for this course. You can enroll directly through Harvard Online if you are at least 18 years old, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

No mathematics or programming experience is required for this course. Data Privacy and Technology is designed for a general audience and frames privacy as an ethical, business, technology, and societal concern.

While the course introduces techniques related to data anonymization, the emphasis is on theories of privacy and on thinking critically about privacy issues from multiple angles, including policy, cultural, and societal impacts. There are no coding exercises. Assignments focus on reflection and critical‑thinking exercises that invite you to draw on your own experiences and to act as a decision‑maker in real‑world scenarios.

We offer 30% discounts to past participants of select Harvard Online courses. We also offer discounts on select courses to learners who work in nonprofits, government, military, or education, or are U.S. veterans. You can find more information about current discounts and eligibility on our course policies and discounts page.

Apply for a Discount

Upon successful completion of this program, you will receive a digital Certificate of Completion from Harvard Online. Our team reviews all participant coursework after the final deadline in your course, and, once eligibility is confirmed, your Certified Electronic Credential will be delivered to your email address.

You will have access to the materials in every prior module as you progress through the program. Access to course materials and the course platform ends 60 days after the final deadline in the program.

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