What can I do about this clause?

{'method': 'EMAIL', 'recipient': 'privacy@duolingo.com', 'difficulty': 'MODERATE', 'action_type': 'DELETE_DATA', 'instructions': 'Email privacy@duolingo.com requesting deletion of your voice recordings. Specify your account username and the data type (voice recordings) in your request.', 'deadline_days': 30, 'deadline_hours': None}

Which regulatory agencies enforce this type of clause?

{'agency': 'FTC', 'reason': 'The FTC has enforcement authority over deceptive and unfair data practices involving biometric and voice data under FTC Act Section 5.', 'complaint_url': 'https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/'}

What is the severity of this clause?

ConductAtlas classifies this Voice Data Collection clause as high severity. Severity reflects the magnitude of rights affected, the breadth of users impacted, and the degree of discretion the platform retains.

Do other platforms have similar clauses?

Yes. ConductAtlas has identified similar Voice Data Collection clauses across approximately 2 other tracked platforms. You can compare how platforms differ on this clause type in the cross-platform comparison view.

Voice Data Collection — Duolingo

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What it is

Duolingo records your voice when you use speaking exercises and uses those recordings to assess your pronunciation and improve its technology.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Your voice recordings are collected during speaking exercises and may be used beyond immediate pronunciation feedback, including to train Duolingo's speech recognition systems, which raises questions about retention and secondary use of biometric-adjacent data.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.

Delete Your Data
Within 30 days
Email privacy@duolingo.com requesting deletion of your voice recordings. Specify your account username and the data type (voice recordings) in your request.

Cross-platform context

See how other platforms handle Voice Data Collection and similar clauses.

Compare across platforms →

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Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

Voice recordings are biometric-adjacent data that carry heightened privacy risk — they can be used to identify you and are difficult to anonymize effectively.

View original clause language

We collect voice recordings when you use voice-based features in our app, such as speaking exercises. We use these recordings to evaluate your pronunciation and improve our speech recognition technology.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: Voice data collection implicates GDPR Art. 9 if voice recordings are processed to infer health or biometric data (special category); Illinois BIPA (740 ILCS 14) if voice recordings constitute 'biometric identifiers'; Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act (CUBI); Washington My Health MY Data Act. FTC Act Section 5 applies to deceptive practices around biometric data. Primary enforcers: Illinois AG, FTC, EU DPAs.

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Applicable agencies

FTC

The FTC has enforcement authority over deceptive and unfair data practices involving biometric and voice data under FTC Act Section 5.
File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information

Document

Duolingo Privacy Policy

Entity

Duolingo

Document last updated

April 29, 2026

Tracking information

First tracked

April 18, 2026

Last verified

April 18, 2026

Record ID

CA-P-002764

Document ID

CA-D-00084

Evidence Provenance

Source URL

https://www.duolingo.com/privacy

Wayback Machine

View archived versions →

SHA-256

18dc44f61316909c4efd9113eadb61be0022e2b5dce55feb464c0f8eb1b08ef1

Verified

✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Change verified

How to Cite

ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Duolingo | Document: Duolingo Privacy Policy | Record: CA-P-002764
Captured: 2026-04-18 09:22:23 UTC | SHA-256: 18dc44f61316909c…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/duolingo/duolingo-privacy-policy/voice-data-collection/
Accessed: May 2, 2026

Classification

Severity

High

Voice Data Collection