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Plain-English summary
SoundCloud's terms include some risks, such as the company reserving the right to terminate your account without prior notice for various reasons including potential violations of their terms, community guidelines, or third-party rights. You also irrevocably waive claims against SoundCloud for user-uploaded content, meaning you cannot sue them for issues like intellectual property infringement or defamatory material posted by other users. The service will use your activity for personalized recommendations and tailored ads. Once your content is distributed to other services, SoundCloud is not obligated to ensure its deletion from those services, even if you remove it from your SoundCloud account. However, a significant protection is that your content will not be used to train generative AI models to replicate your voice, music, or likeness without your explicit opt-in consent.
88% confidence
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Risk Flags
2 findings
The following practices may indicate a risk to you.
Not clearly stated: This policy does not clearly state whether SoundCloud provides any clear dispute resolution mechanisms for users to challenge account termination decisions.
high90% confidence
Account Termination or Suspension Without Notice
SoundCloud reserves the right to suspend or terminate your account without prior notice if activities on your account might violate the Terms of Use, Community Guidelines, third-party rights, or applicable laws.
Why it matters: Your account could be suspended or terminated without warning if SoundCloud determines, at its sole discretion, that your activities violate their terms, guidelines, or laws, potentially leading to immediate loss of access to the platform and your content.
We reserve the right to disallow, cancel, remove or reassign certain usernames and permalinks in appropriate circumstances, as determined by us in our sole discretion, and may, with or without prior notice, suspend or terminate your account if activities occur on that account which, in our sole discretion, would or might constitute a violation of these Terms of Use or our [Community Guidelines](https://soundcloud.com/community-guidelines), or an infringement or violation of the rights of any third party, or of any applicable laws or regulations.
Waiver of Claims Against SoundCloud for User Content
You irrevocably waive the right to assert any claim against SoundCloud or its affiliates regarding content uploaded by users, including claims for intellectual property infringement, privacy rights, or abusive/defamatory material.
Why it matters: This clause means you cannot sue SoundCloud for issues arising from content uploaded by other users, such as copyright infringement or defamatory posts, even if that content harms you. You bear the risk for all such content on the platform.
SoundCloud and its subsidiaries, affiliates, successors, assigns, employees, agents, directors, officers and shareholders hereby exclude, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any and all liability which may arise from any content uploaded to the Platform by users, including, but not limited to, any claims for infringement of intellectual property rights, rights of privacy or publicity rights, any claims relating to publication of abusive, defamatory, pornographic, or obscene material, or any claims relating to the completeness, accuracy, currency or reliability of any information provided by users of the Platform.
**Liability for content**, paragraph 4 · Citation strength: strong
Data Use
3 findings
Policies about how your data is collected, used, and shared.
Not clearly stated: The policy does not clearly state how long personal data is retained or if users have the right to access and correct their personal data beyond what is in the Privacy Policy (which is explicitly stated not to be part of this agreement).
medium85% confidence
Use of Information for Tailored Advertisements
SoundCloud uses information you make available when interacting with the platform to inform the nature of ads shown to you and provide a customized experience, in order to make the platform available for free and provide relevant features.
Why it matters: Your interactions on the platform contribute to data used for displaying tailored ads, customizing your experience.
In order to make the Platform available for free and provide you with personally relevant features, we serve tailored ads on the Platform on behalf of third party advertisers. To that end, we use information that you make available to us when you interact with the Platform to inform the nature of the ads we show you and provide you with a customized experience.
**Description of the Platform**, paragraph 4 · Citation strength: strong
medium90% confidence
Access to Content and Communications for Enforcement and Legal Obligations
When you report content, SoundCloud may access your content and Platform Communications to operate the Platform, enforce its Terms of Use and Community Guidelines, and comply with legal obligations, where permitted by applicable laws.
Why it matters: If you report content, SoundCloud may review your content and communications to investigate and enforce their policies or legal requirements, potentially exposing your communications to their review.
When you report Content to us and where permitted by applicable laws, SoundCloud may access your Content and Platform Communications, for the purpose of operating the Platform, enforcing these Terms of Use including SoundCloud’s Community Guidelines, and complying with SoundCloud's legal obligations.
Feedback Becomes Non-Confidential and Unrestricted for SoundCloud
Any feedback you provide regarding the Platform will be considered non-confidential, and SoundCloud has the right, but not the obligation, to use such feedback without restriction.
Why it matters: Any ideas or suggestions you give to SoundCloud can be used by them freely without any obligation to you, as they are not considered confidential.
We may, from time to time, invite or provide you with means to provide feedback regarding the Platform, and in such circumstances, any feedback you provide will be deemed non-confidential and SoundCloud shall have the right, but not the obligation, to use such feedback on an unrestricted basis.
Information regarding subscription and service changes, including cancellation and renewal policies.
Not clearly stated: This policy does not clearly state the specific conditions or notice periods for terminating paid subscriptions, beyond linking to a section about cancelling purchases in certain circumstances.
medium85% confidence
Continued Use of Platform Constitutes Acceptance of Revised Terms
If you do not terminate your account within two weeks of a significant change notification, your continued use of the Platform after this period will mean you accept the revised Terms of Use.
Why it matters: You must actively terminate your account within two weeks of a significant terms update if you disagree with the changes. Otherwise, by continuing to use the service, you automatically agree to the new terms.
You will have no obligation to continue using the Platform following any such notification, but if you do not terminate your account as described in the [Termination](https://soundcloud.com/terms-of-use#termination) section below during such two (2) week period, your continued use of the Platform after the end of that two (2) week period will constitute your acceptance of the revised Terms of Use.
**Changes to Terms of Use**, paragraph 3 · Citation strength: strong
medium90% confidence
SoundCloud May Alter Terms of Use at Its Sole Discretion
SoundCloud reserves the right to change, alter, replace, or modify the Terms of Use at any time, at its sole discretion, for reasons such as legal/regulatory changes or updates to platform features.
Why it matters: SoundCloud can unilaterally change its terms and conditions whenever it deems necessary, meaning the rules you operate under can shift without your direct negotiation or agreement, requiring you to regularly check for updates.
We reserve the right to change, alter, replace, or otherwise modify these Terms of Use at any time, for example to address legal or regulatory changes or changes to features or functionality made available through the Platform, at our sole discretion.
**Changes to Terms of Use**, paragraph 1 · Citation strength: strong
medium90% confidence
Individual Uploaders Control Content Removal and Access
Individual Uploaders have control over their audio content and may remove it without notice, and you have no right of continued access to any particular content item. SoundCloud is not liable if you lose access due to content removal by an Uploader or SoundCloud.
Why it matters: Content you rely on may be removed by its Uploader or SoundCloud at any time without notice, meaning you could lose access to audio you enjoy or need without warning or recourse.
Individual Uploaders have control over the audio content that they store in their account from time to time and may remove any or all audio content or other content without notice. You have no right of continued access to any particular item of content and SoundCloud shall have no liability in the event that you are unable to access an item of content due to its removal from the Platform, whether by SoundCloud or the relevant Uploader.
Clauses that may contain unexpected conditions or practices that could be detrimental to you.
Not clearly stated: This policy does not clearly state what happens to user accounts or data when a user is found to be a "repeat infringer" beyond suspension or termination.
medium90% confidence
Users are Solely Responsible for Uploaded Content
SoundCloud acts as a passive conduit and host for content, does not have knowledge or control over your content, and you are fully responsible for all content you upload, post, or distribute.
Why it matters: You bear full legal responsibility for everything you upload, post, or distribute on the platform. SoundCloud explicitly states it does not control or monitor your content, shifting all liability for content-related issues to you.
SoundCloud stores content and other information at the direction, request and with the authorization of its users as a passive conduit and/or host for the uploading, storage and distribution of such content. SoundCloud does not have knowledge of, or control over, your Content. You are fully responsible for all of the Content that you upload, post or distribute to, on or through the Platform, and to the extent permissible by law, SoundCloud excludes all liability with respect to all content (including your Content) and the activities of its users with respect thereto.
**Liability for content**, paragraph 1 · Citation strength: strong
medium90% confidence
No Obligation for SoundCloud to Delete Content from Linked Services
Once your content is distributed to a Linked Service, SoundCloud is not obligated to ensure its deletion from those services or to require users of the Platform or Linked Services to delete it.
Why it matters: If your content is shared to other platforms (Linked Services) via SoundCloud, SoundCloud is not responsible for ensuring that content is removed from those services, even if you delete it from your SoundCloud account. This means your content could persist elsewhere indefinitely.
However, notwithstanding the foregoing, you hereby acknowledge and agree that once your Content is distributed to a Linked Service, SoundCloud is not obligated to ensure the deletion of your Content from any servers or systems operated by the operators of any Linked Service, or to require that any user of the Platform or any Linked Service deletes any item of your Content.
**Grant of license**, paragraph 7 · Citation strength: strong
Protections
1 finding
Policies that are beneficial to you.
Not clearly stated: The policy does not clearly state whether users have the right to portability of their content or data to another service.
Protection95% confidence
AI Training Opt-in for Voice, Music, or Likeness Replication
SoundCloud will not use your content to train generative AI models to replicate or synthesize your voice, music, or likeness without your explicit consent, which must be affirmatively provided through an opt-in mechanism.
Why it helps: This clause explicitly protects your creative works and personal attributes (voice, music, likeness) from being used for AI training without your direct, affirmative permission, giving you control over your digital identity and creations in the context of generative AI.
We will not use your content to train generative AI models that aim to replicate or synthesize your voice, music, or likeness without your explicit consent, which must be affirmatively provided through an opt-in mechanism.
**Grant of license**, paragraph 4 · Citation strength: strong
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