Research Cohort Addendum
Effective Date: 2026-05-29
What the research cohort is
Scout's research cohort is a small group of families who help us improve Lantern's reading-coaching capabilities. Participating families allow us to retain a copy of certain session data on the family's local device for analysis.
Cohort participation is optional, separate from baseline consent, and revocable at any time.
What's different for cohort families
Compared to the standard Lantern product:
| Aspect | Standard | Research cohort |
|---|---|---|
| Voice retention | Not stored in our cloud; during the pilot a short reading recording stays on the family device up to a day or two | A copy of reading-session audio retained on the local device while in cohort |
| Cloud storage of voice | Never | Never (same — recordings stay local) |
| Voiceprint generation | Never | Never (same) |
| Use to train AI models | Never | Never without separate, explicit consent |
| Withdrawal | Standard (delete account) | Toggle off in the consent dashboard → a deletion request is filed; our team removes the retained recordings within thirty (30) days and confirms by email |
Everything else is the same as the standard product.
What we use cohort recordings for
The retained recordings help our team:
- Improve Lantern's speech recognition accuracy for children's voices
- Tune the reading-coaching prompts and scaffolding strategies
- Build a benchmark dataset to evaluate model quality over time
- Investigate specific incidents reported by parents
The recordings are reviewed only by:
- Authorized Scout research staff (limited list, audit-logged access)
- Subprocessors under contractual restrictions (see Subprocessors)
The recordings are not used for:
- Advertising
- Profile building beyond research analysis
- AI model training (separate consent required)
- Sharing with third parties beyond authorized subprocessors
How long recordings are kept
Recordings are kept for as long as you are in the research cohort, with these limits:
- Stored on your local device only — never uploaded to our cloud unless we have separate, explicit consent
- Removed within thirty (30) days of cohort withdrawal — withdrawing files a deletion request that our team completes manually, with email confirmation
- If the daemon's auto-prune feature is enabled (currently disabled by default) and the device is low on local storage, older recordings may be auto-pruned before the formal retention window. Scout will disclose to the family in writing if this feature is enabled for their device.
The retained recordings live on your own device; contact privacy@lanternlearning.io if you would like help locating or reviewing them.
Withdrawal
You can withdraw from the research cohort at any time:
- Consent dashboard (https://consent.lanternlearning.io) → Your consent → voice-retention toggle → Off
- Withdrawing files a deletion request; our team removes all retained recordings within thirty (30) days and confirms by email
- Your standard Lantern experience continues unchanged
Withdrawal does not:
- Delete your account
- Stop your child from using Lantern
- Affect any non-cohort data
- Require you to give up any prior benefits
Withdrawal does:
- Delete the cohort recordings
- Remove you from the cohort program
- Trigger one final audit log entry
Compensation and benefits
Pilot families receive a Lantern device on loan for the duration of the pilot at no charge, plus early access to product features and direct lines to Scout's founder team for support. There is no monetary payment or other compensation. The loaner device is returned to Scout at the end of the pilot or, by mutual agreement, may be retained at a discounted purchase price.
Research framing
Scout's research cohort is structured as a commercial beta program with research-flavored data use — not an IRB-style research protocol under 45 CFR §46. Pilot families consent through the standard parental consent flow plus this addendum; no IRB approval is required and no COPPA research exemption is invoked. If Scout's research program scales to a level where IRB structure becomes appropriate (e.g., a peer-reviewed publication target, partnerships with academic institutions), this section will be updated and re-consent obtained.
Eligibility
To participate in the research cohort, you must:
- Be the parent or legal guardian of the participating child
- Have completed standard Lantern consent
- Affirmatively opt in (we do not enroll families automatically)
- Be a US resident (current cohort is US-only; international participation TBD)
Renewal and re-consent
Cohort participation continues until you withdraw. If we materially change the cohort program (e.g., new analyses, new subprocessors, new data uses), we will:
- Update this addendum and notify you
- Pause data retention until you re-consent to the new terms
- Provide an option to remain in the standard cohort without the new terms (if feasible)
Rights
Cohort families retain all the rights described in our Privacy Policy:
- Access, export, correct, delete
- Withdraw consent
- Object to specific processing
- Complain to regulators
Plus the cohort-specific right to withdraw from cohort recording at any time without affecting non-cohort data.
Audit trail
Every cohort consent grant, withdrawal, and recording deletion is recorded in our audit log. The log is retained for seven (7) years per COPPA recordkeeping requirements.
Contact
For questions about the research cohort: cohort@lanternlearning.io For privacy concerns: privacy@lanternlearning.io
Questions? Email privacy@lanternlearning.io. To file a complaint, contact the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or your state attorney general.