Anker, the parent company of Eufy security cameras, incentivised users to submit videos for AI training. The initiative offered £1.60 ($2) per video of staged or real-life package and car thefts. Eufy sought 20,000 videos of each type of theft to improve its AI detection capabilities. Users uploaded videos via a Google Form, providing their PayPal details for payment.
Eufy also runs an ongoing 'Video Donation Program', rewarding users with badges, gifts, or gift cards for videos featuring humans. An 'Honour Wall' within the app ranks users by video contributions, with the top user having donated over 200,000 videos. Eufy states that the videos are solely for AI training purposes. This initiative follows past privacy concerns, where Eufy cameras marketed as end-to-end encrypted were accessible without encryption.
Eufy did not comment on the number of participants, total payouts, or data deletion policies. The company also solicits videos from baby monitor users, without offering monetary compensation.
