freesound
- The policy allows AI training; it does not describe an opt-out.
- The policy rules out using your data for targeted ads.
- Data is shared only with the providers who run the service.
- Staff may review your content; the policy does not describe an opt-out.
A public sound library: your uploads are licensed for reuse, data goes to US vendors, and you them.
Agent Trust Hub uses AI and may make mistakes. Review reports and confirm their contents before relying on them.
- Uses your content for AI training with no opt-out
Collected
Account info, sounds and tags, comments, downloads, IP address, and optional location on sounds.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Freesound collects and processes (1) profile data, (2) data related to the sounds uploaded, (3) the comments between moderators and uploaders, (4) data created while contributing to the community.”
Training
They use your data to run the site, contact you, and for research, development, and innovation.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Carry out research development and innovation study, works or projects.”
Sharing
Username is public; vendors in the USA (Amazon, Mapbox, Zendesk, PayPal, Google) process data.
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Privacy policy
“We keep your data confidential and shall disclose them only in compliance with a legal obligation or to deliver our Service.”
Kept
They keep data while you have an account; after deactivation they site data.
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Privacy policy
“We will retain the personal data submitted through registration and collected during the course of the Services for the term of your account with us.”
Controls
You can ask by email to access, fix, or erase data, or cancel your account via their web form.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“The aforementioned rights may be effective by contacting us at mtg@upf.edu or at Universitat Pompeu Fabra.”
Fine print
You must be 18, Spanish courts apply, you them, and terms can change with continued use.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“As a user, you have to be 18 years old or more to be registered.”
Expand “Read the exact line” to see the source alongside the explanation.
What you can turn off
The controls and opt-outs their own documents describe, and where they say to find them.
Cancel your account
Online web form (terms: All cancellations should be addressed to our online web form)
Ask to access, correct, or erase personal data
Email mtg@upf.edu (copy dpd@upf.edu) with ID proof
Revoke consent
Write to mtg@upf.edu with a copy of ID card or passport
Complain to the Catalan DPA
Autoritat Catalana de Protecció de Dades, C/ Rosselló, 214, Barcelona
If a switch is not where they say, the deletion request above still applies.
Line by line
The lines that matter most, worst first.
If something goes wrong because of how you use the site, you may have to pay their legal costs.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“You agree to and hold us harmless to the fullest extent allowed by law regarding all matters related to your use of your Freesound account.”
For example, if someone sues over a sound you uploaded, you could be on the hook for Freesound’s lawyer bills.
Comments and non-sound posts are given away with almost no rights reserved.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“the posting or publication of messages, comments, descriptions, opinions, files or any other content to the website constitutes the grant in UPF’s favor (as operator of Freesound) to use and exploit such content under the terms of the Creative Commons Zero license.”
For example, a forum post you write can be copied and reused by anyone with no credit required.
They say they can use your data for research and innovation, not only to run the website.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“Carry out research development and innovation study, works or projects.”
For example, your uploaded clips and tags could be used in university research projects.
Your data can be sent to named companies in the United States.
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Privacy policy
“You specifically authorize us to subcontract the following services and the corresponding transfer of User Data to the entities and countries listed below:”
For example, account and sound data may sit on Amazon or Google systems in the USA.
They can shut your account with no warning if they think you broke the rules.
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Terms of service
“We also reserve the right to exclude any user from the interactive services and to suspend or close his/her account without prior warning should the user breach any of these terms.”
For example, a disputed upload could get your login disabled before you get a chance to reply.
If they change the privacy rules and you keep using the site, they treat that as yes.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“If you continue to use our Services after such update, you will be deemed to accept the new terms.”
For example, a new research use could apply if you download a sound after they post a notice.
They warn that some data may travel without encryption.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“your content, including name, sounds, sound metadata, and certain account information may be transferred unencrypted over the internet.”
For example, uploading a sound on public Wi‑Fi could send metadata in the open.
Uploads can include a physical location plus private moderator chat.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“On uploading a sound to our website, we will collect the following data: name, description, tag, physical location, comments between a moderator and the sound uploader.”
For example, a field recording tagged with a GPS-style location is stored with the file.
After you leave, public profile bits are , but they keep a fake ID in the database.
Read the exact line
Privacy policy
“If your Account is deactivated either by you or us, all front-end (site) data related to you are , though we retain a user identifier to maintain database integrity.”
For example, your username may vanish from the site, but a hidden ID can still tie old rows together.
They say you must be 18, but they do not describe extra age checks.
Read the exact line
Terms of service
“As a user, you have to be 18 years old or more to be registered.”
For example, a 16-year-old could still type that they are 18 on the signup form.
Words to know
Legal words from the lines above, in plain English.
- human review
- Company staff or contractors may read your messages or content, usually to check for rule breaking. For example, a flagged private chat with an AI can be read by a person at the company.
- retention
- How long a company keeps your data before deleting it. For example, a policy might keep your messages for 30 days after you delete them, or for as long as it likes.
- personal data
- Any information that is about you or can be linked to you, from your name to your phone's ID. For example, your email, your IP address and the list of apps on your phone are all personal data.
- indemnify
- You promise to pay the company's legal costs and losses if your use of the service gets it sued. For example, if you post a song you do not own and the label sues the app, you owe the app's lawyer bills.
- de-identified
- Data with your name and obvious identifiers removed, though it can sometimes still be traced back to you. For example, your chats with names stripped out may still be kept and studied after you delete your account.
- pseudonymous
- Your name is swapped for a code, but the company keeps the key and can still link the data back to you. For example, your chats are filed under user 48213 instead of your name, but staff can still look up who that is.
How we got here · grade C · score 45/100 · 15 of 15 policy answers backed by a verified quote · 1 not stated
What does the app collect beyond what it needs to work?
They collect account details, uploads, comments, downloads, IP address, browser type, and optional sound location—not only what is needed to log in.
Does it record your voice, face or body, and what happens to that?
Uploaded audio, which can include voice, is kept on the site under your chosen license until removed.
Are your chats and uploads used to train AI models, and is that off by default?
They list research, development, and innovation as a use of personal data and do not describe a way to turn that off.
Can employees or contractors read your conversations, and when?
Community moderators review uploads and they say they periodically check content; no opt-out is described.
Are you profiled or tracked for advertising?
They say navigation data is not shared with third parties without consent and do not describe advertising profiles.
Do they sell or share your data, and can you opt out?
They say they disclose data to suppliers who deliver the service and named US processors, not as a general sale.
What rights do they take over what you type and what the AI makes?
Sounds go out under the Creative Commons license you pick; other posts are granted as CC0, so they are public by default.
How long do they keep your data after you delete it, and can you delete it in the app?
Deletion of personal data is by contacting them or cancelling the account through their web form, not an in-app 30-day wipe.
Does it build a lasting memory or profile of you, and can you see, edit or turn it off?
Not stated in the documents.
Do they commit to basic security, and have they leaked data?
They say they use legally required security measures, but also warn some transfers may be unencrypted.
Is there a real age gate, and are teens protected?
Registration is for people 18 or older, with no extra age-check described.
Will they tell you when the rules change, and is the policy specific?
Privacy changes are notified, but keeping using the site counts as acceptance; terms can take effect when published.
Can they close your account without warning, and can you get your data out first?
They can close an account immediately for a breach, without prior warning.
If something goes wrong, who pays?
You must hold them harmless for your use, and they limit their own liability to fraud or wilful misconduct.
Do subscriptions renew on their own, and can you get a refund?
They mention donations through PayPal or Stripe, not a paid subscription with auto-renewal.
The privacy policy is 2,159 words at a college level (Flesch reading ease 46); the terms are 2,488 words at a college level.