Anker offered to pay Eufy camera owners to share videos for training its AI

Anker, the maker of Eufy security cameras, launched a campaign earlier this year offering users $2 per video of package or car thefts to train its AI systems. The company encouraged users to submit both real and staged videos, even suggesting users simulate thefts to help improve detection algorithms. This initiative aimed to collect 20,000 videos each of package thefts and car door pulls, with payments made via PayPal. While the campaign reportedly attracted participation from over 120 users, Eufy did not disclose how many videos were collected, the total payments made, or whether the videos were deleted after training. Following this, Eufy continued similar programs, including an in-app Video Donation Program that rewards users with badges, gifts, or rankings for submitting videos involving humans, which the company states are used solely for AI training and not shared with third parties. Despite these efforts to monetize user data for AI development, concerns about privacy and security persist. For example, in 2023