Grade D — Sign with caution (score 58/100)
Northwestern University collects sensitive personal data, including biometrics, and uses it for marketing profiling, while reserving the right to update terms without direct notice.
Collects sensitive data for profiling. No clear retention period stated.
We keep your personal information for as long as needed to fulfill the particular purpose for which it was collected.
There is no defined retention period; data is kept as long as the university deems necessary.
Where applicable under local law, under certain circumstances you may have the right to: ... Request erasure of your personal information.
You have the right to request that your personal data be deleted, subject to local law.
The categories of sensitive personal data that we may collect directly from you include the following: ... Biometric data
The university explicitly collects biometric information, which carries significant privacy risks.
Marketing: We use your personal data to build a profile about you and place you into particular marketing segments in order to understand your preferences better
The university creates behavioral profiles to target you with marketing messages.
We share your personal data with our service providers and business partners that ... serve online behavioral advertising
Your personal data is shared with third-party advertisers to track your behavior.
We may update this Privacy Statement at any time by posting any changes to this page. ... Your continued use of our Services after any change in this Privacy Statement will constitute your acceptance of such change.
The university can change these terms at any time, and your continued use acts as your consent to the new terms.
Last reviewed 2026-08-02 under rubric v3.5.