Update, June 15: We’re postponing the cookie consent release.
We’ve decided to postpone the release of the cookie consent banner, which was planned for June 17 to give customers more time to plan. We expect this will be delayed by about 30 days We’ll update this post with the new release date as soon as it’s confirmed.
A few things to know:
- Nothing changes in Canvas in the meantime. Non-essential usage analytics remain off for institutions outside the US until the banner is released.
- As mentioned in a previous update, some users briefly saw the banner on June 10 when a setting was enabled in error. That issue was resolved the same day, and we’re using the extra time to address the behavior institutions reported (the banner reappearing instead of remembering a user’s choice).
- No action is needed from administrators or users. If you have questions about timing, your CSM can help.
This feature exists to give users clearer information and more choice about how usage data is collected. We’d rather take a few extra weeks and follow our own privacy process completely than rush it.
Update: the consent banner temporarily appeared early on June 10.
On June 10, some users at institutions outside the US briefly saw the new cookie consent banner (managed by OneTrust) in Canvas by Instructure, ahead of the planned June 17 release. A configuration setting was enabled in error during internal testing related to the upcoming mobile rollout. We identified the issue and turned the banner off within about 90 minutes (it was visible from roughly 10:43 to 12:07 CEST).
A few things to know:
- The banner users saw was the real consent experience described below. It wasn't a security issue, and it didn't affect access to Canvas.
- No action is needed from administrators or users.
- Some institutions reported that the banner reappeared on every page instead of remembering a user's choice, and that the settings options differed from the screenshots in this post. We're investigating these reports and will confirm expected behavior ahead of the release.
- The release date hasn't changed. Cookie consent will launch as planned on June 17.
We're sorry for the confusion this caused, and we appreciate the institutions that flagged it quickly. The original announcement follows below.
Coming Soon: Cookie Consent for Non-essential Product Usage Tracking
At Instructure, we’re more committed than ever to building products that are useful, transparent, and aligned with the privacy expectations of the customers and communities we serve.
As part of that commitment, starting June 17, Instructure will be implementing cookies to understand product usage patterns for the purpose of improving the software users’ experience. In accordance with emerging policies and regulations, Instructure will also begin enforcing cookie consent for this non-essential product usage analytics in all applicable regions. Primary school learners will not be prompted for consent and will be automatically excluded. Enforcing cookie consent is a required update that is designed to provide users with clearer information and greater choice around how non-essential usage data is collected and used across both web-based and mobile product experiences.
The cookie consent banner is displayed to Canvas users at non-U.S. higher education institutions the first time they access Canvas after June 17, and from each new browser thereafter.
Understanding product usage patterns, engagement trends, and areas where users may experience friction helps our teams make more informed decisions about product improvements, workflow design, and the overall user experience across platforms.
When users provide consent, Instructure can better understand how they are using our products in real-world settings, whether they are accessing Instructure products through a browser or mobile app. This helps us identify friction more quickly, prioritize improvements based on actual usage, and make the product experience more effective and relevant for customers in different regions. Consent does not authorize the collection of personally identifiable information (PII). User inputs, user entered information, and other specific data is omitted from collection before it is aggregated. This means that we can see, for example, the percentage of instructors that type feedback in SpeedGrader, but we do not capture what they type.
Users will be presented with a consent choice the first time they log into Canvas from a new browser. If a user declines consent, non-essential tracking will not run. The product will remain available, though Instructure may have less visibility into usage behavior and engagement trends that help inform future improvements. Customers do not need to take any action ahead of this update.
This will be released on June 17 2026.
Pop up to set the cookie settings for Canvas:
If the user selects the Cookies Settings link at the bottom of the banner they have access to additional controls:
As per FAQs: Subprocessor Notification Regarding Pendo blog post, this information is already collected in the US.
