Last updated June 15, 2026
1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how EBSCOed, as the provider and operator of LER.me and related EBSCOed services, collects, uses, shares, and protects information about individuals who use LER.me, our websites, mobile applications, EBSCOed Associated Sites, Digital Wallet services, Learning & Employment Record tools, and related services (collectively, the “Services”).
LER.me is developed and maintained by EBSCOed as an open-access initiative to help individuals create, manage, and share a modern Learning & Employment Record (LER) of their skills, credentials, and work experiences.
This Privacy Policy is intended for, and the Services are designed for, use in the United States of America. By using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and understand how we handle your information.
2. Scope and Applicability
Policy applies to individuals in the United States who create, access, or manage an account on LER.me or otherwise use EBSCOed websites, applications, digital experiences, or related services covered by this Privacy Policy to build, maintain, access, or share a Learning & Employment Record (“LER”) or Digital Wallet, including any information they add to or share through the Services, such as credentials, employment history, skills information, assessment records, or related records.
For purposes of this Privacy Policy, the “Services” include LER.me, the LER.me Digital Wallet, Learning & Employment Record tools, and other EBSCOed websites, applications, digital experiences, program sites, and services that are operated by or on behalf of EBSCOed and that link to this Privacy Policy or use, connect to, or support access through a LER.me account, Digital Wallet, or LER.
Our Services are intended for use in the United States only. If you choose to use the Services from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be processed in the United States and be subject to U.S. laws and regulations.
2.1 Sites and Services
EBSCOed operates LER.me and may also operate, support, or provide access to additional websites, program sites, digital experiences, and services. These sites and services may use an existing LER.me account, LER.me Digital Wallet, or Learning & Employment Record to provide access to users and to support programs, initiatives, resources, or related experiences.
These EBSCOed sites and services do not collect additional account, profile, credential, education, employment, skills, or wallet information from users outside of the information already maintained in, provided through, or authorized by the user’s LER.me account, Digital Wallet, or Learning & Employment Record, except for limited technical, security, authentication, device, browser, cookie, log, and usage information as described elsewhere in this Privacy Policy.
The EBSCOed sites and services covered by this Privacy Policy currently include:
- Ebscoed.com
- ler.me
- national-skills-exchange.com
- skillscrosswalk.com
- mycareerpathway.com
- rightfitfirsttry.com
- consumerchoicetraining.com
- Presidential1776Award.org
Additional EBSCOed sites or services may be added from time to time when they are operated by or on behalf of EBSCOed and use, connect to, or support access through a LER.me account, the LER.me Digital Wallet, Learning & Employment Records, or related EBSCOed services.
Eligibility:
- The Services are intended for individuals 18 years of age or older.
- Limited use by individuals ages 14 to 17 is permitted under additional protections for minors, as described in Section 11 (Children’s and Minors’ Privacy).
- Individuals 13 years of age and under are not permitted to use the Services under any circumstances.
3. Who We Are
LER.me is provided by EBSCOed (the “Service Provider”), which operates and maintains the LER.me platform and related services in the United States.
Service Provider Contact Details:
- Organization: EBSCOed
- Mailing Address: 10 Estes Street, Ipswich, MA 01938, United States
- Phone: +1 978 356 6500
You may contact us using these details for questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices.
4. Information We Collect
We collect information in connection with your use of the Services, which may include:
4.1 Account and Profile Information
When you create or manage an account, we may collect:
- Email address (required to create a profile).
- Optional profile details you choose to provide (for example, your name, address, birthday or other details).
- Account settings and preferences.
4.2 Learning & Employment Record (LER) Data
To build and maintain your Learning & Employment Record and related tools, you may choose to provide or connect information such as:
- Credentials and educational records (for example, diplomas, certificates, transcripts, micro-credentials).
- Skills and experiences (work, volunteer, internships, projects, and other activities).
- Evidence of learning and achievements (uploads, badges, links, embedded credentials).
- Prior assessment data, work history, and wage or earnings-related data when you authorize exchange with system partners.
This information may come from:
- Data you manually upload, embed, or link.
- Data you connect from validated providers and verification services.
- Information exchanged with participating system partners when you consent.
4.3 Referral and Program Information
When you are referred to, or participate in, employment, education, or training programs through our system partners, we may collect and process information such as:
- Eligibility determinations for services.
- Participation in training, education, or employment programs.
- Information needed to develop and maintain an individual training or employment plan.
- Outcomes and follow-up information related to those programs.
4.4 Payment Information
If you purchase a product, subscription, or service offered through the Services, payment is processed by our third-party payment processor, Stripe, Inc. (“Stripe”). When you enter payment card details, that information is collected directly by Stripe; we do not collect or store your full payment card number, card expiration date, or card security code (CVV) on our servers.
We may receive and retain limited transaction-related information from Stripe, such as a transaction or confirmation identifier, the type and last four digits of the card used, the billing postal code, and the date, amount, and status of the payment. We use this information to confirm and manage your purchase, provide receipts and customer support, prevent and detect fraud, and maintain records as required by law.
4.5 Automatically Collected Information
When you use the Services, we may automatically collect certain technical and usage information, including:
- Device and browser information
- Log and usage data (including access times, pages or features viewed, navigation patterns, and IP address)
- General location information derived from your IP address within the United States
If you do not provide an address or other location information, we may use your IP address to infer a general location (for example, city or region) in order to provide relevant content, comply with geographic requirements, or support security and fraud prevention.
We may use cookies, local storage, and similar technologies to collect and support these functions. For users ages 14 to 17, we do not store or retain IP address–based or geolocation information in connection with their account, except as strictly necessary for limited security or delivery purposes as described in Section 11 (Children’s and Minors’ Privacy).
5. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for purposes including:
- Providing and maintaining the Services, including creating and managing your account and enabling you to build and share your LER(s).
- Processing payments and managing purchases, subscriptions, receipts, and related customer support.
- Supporting U.S.-based employment, education, and training services, including eligibility determination, training plan development, and follow-up services.
- Improving and evolving the Services, including understanding how features are used and resolving technical issues.
- Recommendations and matching. When you share an LER, we may use shared information to recommend candidates to employers and provide learning or job and opportunity recommendations to users.
- Research, reporting, statistical and lawful business purposes. We may also use, share, or sell aggregated, de-identified information (which does not identify you personally) to third parties for analytics, research, reporting, and other lawful business purposes.
- Security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, and enforcing our Terms of Service and other policies.
6. Information We Do Not Intend to Collect
The Services are not intended to collect or disclose medical or health information, or other restricted third-party information, unless explicitly permitted by law and supported by separate consent and legal agreements.
7. How We Share Information
We share information only as described below:
7.1 With System Partners
When you authorize exchange of information, we may share relevant information with system partners in the United States in order to:
- Determine eligibility for services.
- Coordinate employment, education, and training opportunities.
- Develop and maintain training or employment plans.
- Provide program and follow-up services.
This sharing is conducted on an as-needed basis and is subject to confidentiality protections required or permitted by law.
7.2 When You Share Your LER(s)
When you share an LER, you allow us to share the information you selected with employers and other recipients you choose.
Contact information is only available to recipients through the LERs you share. Recipients may use that contact information to contact you directly outside the platform using their own systems.
Communications outside LER.me are governed by the recipient’s privacy practices, not this Privacy Policy.
Sharing an LER also authorizes LER.me to use shared information for recommendations and matching.
7.3 With Service Providers
We may share information with trusted service providers that help us operate the Services (for example, hosting, storage, analytics, customer support, payment processing, and security). These providers may use information only for the services we specify and must protect it.
7.4 Legal and Safety Reasons
We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is required by law, legal process, or governmental request, or is necessary to protect the rights, safety, and security of LER.me, our users, system partners, or the public.
7.5 Aggregated and De-Identified Information
We may create aggregated, de-identified, or anonymized information derived from information we collect. This information does not reasonably identify you or any other individual.
We may use, disclose, share, or sell aggregated, de-identified, or anonymized information to third parties for any lawful purpose, including research, analytics, reporting, improving the Services, and supporting education and workforce programs. We do not attempt to re-identify individuals from this information.
8. Payment Information and Processing
Certain features of the Services may allow you to make payments or purchase products, subscriptions, or services. We use Stripe, Inc. (“Stripe”) as our third-party payment processor to handle these transactions.
When you make a payment, your payment card information is collected and processed directly by Stripe. We do not collect, store, or process your full payment card number, expiration date, or card security code (CVV) on our servers. As described in Section 4.4, we receive only limited transaction-related information from Stripe that we use to confirm your purchase, provide support, prevent fraud, and meet our recordkeeping obligations.
Stripe acts as an independent data controller with respect to the payment information it collects and processes. Stripe’s handling of your information is governed by Stripe’s own privacy policy, which is available at https://stripe.com/privacy. We encourage you to review it. Stripe may use payment and transaction information for its own purposes, including fraud prevention and compliance with legal and financial obligations, as described in its privacy policy.
We work to ensure that payments are processed securely and that our payment-related practices meet applicable industry standards. However, we are not responsible for the acts, omissions, or data practices of Stripe, and your use of Stripe’s services is subject to Stripe’s terms and policies in addition to this Privacy Policy.
9. No User-to-User Messaging
The Services do not provide direct user-to-user messaging or chat. Users cannot message each other within the platform.
If a recipient contacts you, it will be because you shared an LER that included contact information, as described in Section 7.2.
10. Data Retention and Account Deletion
We retain information for as long as necessary to operate the Services, support your Learning & Employment Record, comply with legal obligations, and enforce our agreements. We may retain payment and transaction records for the period required to meet tax, accounting, audit, and other legal obligations, even after account deletion.
10.1 Deleting Your Account
You may delete your account at any time through the opt-out form provided within the Services.
When you delete your account:
- Your account and data are permanently removed from our active systems.
- Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Your data will not be retrievable after deletion is complete.
- You will no longer be able to access your account, Digital Wallet, or LER(s).
Deleting your account does not apply to aggregated, de-identified, or anonymized information that cannot reasonably be linked to you, or to transaction records we are required to retain for legal, tax, or accounting purposes.
We may contact you directly to confirm your request.
11. Children’s and Minors’ Privacy
11.1 Users 13 and Under
LER.me is not directed to children 13 years of age and under. Users 13 and under are not permitted to use the Services under any circumstances. If we learn that a user 13 or under has provided personal information, we will delete that information and terminate the account.
11.2 Users Ages 14 to 17
Minors ages 14 to 17 may use the Services by confirming during registration or a terms-acceptance step that they are at least 14 years old and that they have reviewed and agree to this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service. We do not require or seek verifiable parental consent for these users.
When a user registers as 14–17, we designate the account as a “minor account,” calculate a “protections expiry date” equal to one day after the user’s 18th birthday, and apply the additional protections described in this Privacy Policy (including restrictions on storing geolocation and IP address information) until that minor protections expiry date, even if the user turns 18 during that period.
Parents and guardians should review what their teen chooses to share through LERs, including any contact information.
11.3 Third-Party Authentication Providers
LER.me may permit users to register for or sign in to the Services through third-party authentication providers, including Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, and others. If a user chooses to do so, the user authenticates through that provider’s platform and remains subject to that provider’s own terms, policies, account requirements, and age-eligibility rules.
LER.me may import certain account or profile information made available by the third-party provider for authentication or account creation purposes, but LER.me does not import a user’s age from the provider and does not independently verify whether the provider has verified the user’s age, identity, legal capacity, or eligibility. Accordingly, LER.me disclaims liability for any failure by a third-party authentication provider to enforce its own age restrictions, account eligibility requirements, or platform rules.
These providers are major U.S.-based platforms and maintain their own account eligibility and age-related requirements under applicable law. By choosing to authenticate through a third-party provider, the user acknowledges that compliance with that provider’s requirements is the user’s responsibility.
LER.me reserves the right to apply its own eligibility rules, age-gating measures, minor-account protections, suspensions, and terminations at any time if LER.me determines that a user may be ineligible to use the Services or may have provided inaccurate or misleading information.
12. Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect information. No system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, and you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.
Your continued use of the Services after changes become effective signifies your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.