Anker Offered To Pay Eufy Camera Owners To Share Videos For Training Its AI
Earlier this year, Anker offered to pay Eufy camera owners to share videos for training its AI, sparking both interest and controversy. The Chinese company behind the popular Eufy security cameras promised users $2 per video of car or package thefts.
Image Credits:Eufy/Anker
The goal? To improve its AI detection system so that cameras can better spot real-world theft. But while some users saw a chance to earn money, others raised concerns about privacy and data security.
How The Program Worked
Eufy explained that users could upload both real and staged theft videos to help teach its AI what to look out for. In fact, the company encouraged people to act out theft scenarios in front of their cameras.
“You can even create events by pretending to be a thief and donate those events,” the website stated. Users could maximize earnings by capturing the same staged incident from multiple cameras, potentially making up to $80 for more elaborate recordings.
Eufy also emphasized that the videos would only be used for training its AI algorithms and not for other purposes.
Why Companies Are Paying For User Data
This initiative highlights a growing trend in tech: companies are willing to pay for user-generated data to train AI systems. Unlike traditional datasets, videos directly from real users provide authentic—and sometimes staged but realistic—examples of theft.
But this approach raises red flags. When consumers sell their data, they risk losing control over how it might be used or stored in the long run.
Privacy And Security Risks
The program quickly drew comparisons to other controversial data-collection efforts. Just last week, TechCrunch reported that Neon, a viral calling app that paid users to share conversations, suffered a serious security flaw. The bug exposed private transcripts and recordings to strangers before the app was forced offline.
Cases like this show how vulnerable personal data can become once it’s in a company’s hands. Even if Anker promises secure handling, skeptics argue that no system is completely risk-free.
Hundreds Of Thousands Of Videos Submitted
Eufy’s campaign was successful in volume. Reports indicate that hundreds of thousands of videos were “donated” during the program. Whether they were real thefts or staged events, these videos now form a massive dataset fueling Anker’s AI ambitions.
Still, questions remain: How securely is this footage stored? And what happens if hackers gain access to these sensitive clips of people’s homes, cars, and daily lives?
While the idea of paying users for their data may sound like a fair trade, programs like this blur the line between incentives and exploitation. Yes, some customers earned quick cash, but the long-term cost could be their privacy and trust.
The fact that Anker offered to pay Eufy camera owners to share videos for training its AI underscores just how valuable personal data has become in the race to build smarter AI. But as the Neon case shows, without airtight safeguards, these experiments can backfire.
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