I refer of course to the surprise ending of the song “Hotel California”: You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. I hadn’t expected this to be the case for Duolingo, but here we are.
Some months ago an online friend decided to leave the platform. Just to be sure, they changed their account name to “TN not here” before deactivating the account. They also informed her online friends through other channels.
I still get “TN not here” as a suggestion for friends quests, but of course I ignore that and another friend who announced her taking a break from Duolingo. But that doesn’t stop Duolingo from initiating friends quests on their behalf.
Yes, if you leave Duolingo and close your account, Duolingo will take control of it and play it for you.
Of all dubious practices I would have accused Duo of, necromancy was not among them.
This is not like Facebook reminding you of your friend’s birthday after he died suddenly. This person deliberately leaves the platform and tries to close their account, but Duolingo pretends they are still there and playing/learning. Remember this if you plan to leave. Change your username first, if you are still allowed.