Earlier this year, Anker, the Chinese manufacturer behind Eufy security cameras, incentivized its users with cash for submitting videos of package and car theft incidents.
The well-known maker of smart security cameras announced it would compensate customers $2 per video to help enhance its AI’s ability to recognize theft of cars and packages.
“To gather sufficient data, we are seeking both authentic and staged footage to help train our AI on what to identify,” the company stated on its website.
“You can even simulate theft scenarios and submit those videos,” the site explains. “This process can be completed quickly. For example, a single staged act might be recorded by two of your outdoor cameras at once, making it simple and efficient. If you also act out a car door theft, you could potentially earn $80.”
Eufy further clarified that “all data from these staged events is exclusively used to train our AI algorithms and will not be used for any other reason.”
This approach highlights how companies are willing to pay for user-generated data they believe will benefit their AI training. While this allows users to profit from their own data, it also introduces potential privacy and security concerns.
For example, just last week, TechCrunch discovered that Neon, a trending calling app that paid users for sharing call recordings and transcripts, had a vulnerability that let users access others’ data. After being notified, Neon took its service offline.
Hundreds of thousands of videos submitted for AI training
Eufy’s campaign, which paid $2 per theft video, ran from December 18, 2024, to February 25, 2025. Over 120 people commented on the campaign’s announcement page, indicating their participation.
The company aimed to gather 20,000 videos each of package theft and “car door pulling.” Eufy users could take part by submitting a Google Form with their videos and PayPal details for payment.
Eufy did not reply to TechCrunch’s inquiries regarding the number of participants, total payouts, how many videos were collected, or whether the videos were deleted after AI training.
Since then, Eufy has continued to launch similar programs, encouraging customers to submit videos for AI development.
Currently, Eufy’s in-app Video Donation Program, designed to enhance its AI, offers users incentives ranging from an “Apprentice Medal”—a badge displayed next to their username—to prizes like cameras or gift cards.
For this campaign, Eufy is only requesting videos that feature people.
The Eufy app also features an “Honor Wall” that ranks users by the number of videos they’ve donated. According to the app, the top contributor has submitted 201,531 videos.
On the donation program’s page, Eufy specifies that “donated videos are solely used for AI training and improvement. Eufy will not share these videos with third parties.”
Eufy also encourages users to share footage captured by its baby monitors. The support page outlining how to submit these videos does not mention any financial reward.
Eufy did not provide a response when questioned about this particular effort.
There are reasons to question Eufy’s assurances about user privacy. In 2023, The Verge reported that the company attempted to hide the fact that camera streams, which were marketed as end-to-end encrypted, were actually unencrypted when accessed via its web portal.
Following discussions with the tech news outlet, Anker admitted to misleading users and pledged to address the problem.
