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Apps that sell user data usually raise privacy concerns. But when the same apps offer money, people react differently.
As TechCrunch reports, an app called Neon is trending on Apple’s US App Store’s Social Networking section. If you make phone calls using the app, the conversations get recorded and sold to third-party AI developers.
“This helps train their systems to understand diverse, real-world speech,” Neon says on its website.
In exchange for recordings, you receive a fixed amount of money. You can earn $0.30 per minute when talking to a fellow Neon user, and $0.15 per minute when talking to a non-Neon user (only the Neon user’s voice gets recorded). The earnings are capped at $30 a day, but you can get an additional $30 bonus for each successful referral.
Why is Neon doing this? “We want to build a new model where you’re not just the product, but a partner,” it says. “Most companies sell your data without telling you, and they definitely don’t cut you in. It’s your data, and it’s time you got paid for it.”
While it sells your recordings, it promises not to sell your personal information. All personally identifiable information, such as names, numbers, and addresses, is redacted before handing over the calls to “vetted companies,” it claims on its website.
However, the company’s terms of service allow it to use the data however it sees fit, so use the app at your own risk.
By submitting recordings, “you grant Neon Mobile a worldwide, exclusive, irrevocable, transferable, royalty-free, fully paid right and license (with the right to sublicense through multiple tiers) to sell, use, host, store, transfer, publicly display, publicly perform (including by means of a digital audio transmission), communicate to the public, reproduce, modify for the purpose of formatting for display, create derivative works as authorized in these Terms.”
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According to Reddit discussions, the app pays close to $18-19 per hour. Payouts are processed 2-3 days after you earn your first 10 cents, Neon says, but some users have been complaining about lengthy delays.
If you want Neon to stop recording your calls, you can just delete your account from app settings. Calls already recorded, however, may not get deleted; we couldn’t spot a mention of that on the website.
According to TechCrunch, the app peaked at No. 2 on Apple’s US App Store. This suggests that many people are willing to trade privacy for money. Or maybe they are just trying to make a quick buck.
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Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.
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