A new app called Neon Mobile has skyrocketed to the number two spot in the App Store's social networking category which pays users for the recorded audio from their phone calls.
As reported by TechCrunch, the app refers to itself as a “moneymaking tool” and offers to pay users for access to their audio conversations, which it then turns around and sells to AI companies.
The fee is 30 cents a minute for phone calls to other Neon users, or up to $30 a day for calls to non-Neon users, and the app pays for referrals as well. It captures inbound and outbound calls on the best iPhones and best Android phones, but only records your side of the call if it’s connected to another Neon user. This collected data is then sold to AI companies, according to Neon, “for the purpose of developing, training, testing, and improving machine learning models, artificial intelligence tools and systems, and related technologies.”
Neon says that it removes personal data like names, emails and phone numbers before this data gets handed over but doesn’t specify how the AI companies it sells that data to will be using it. That’s troubling in an era of deepfakes and phishing or vishing, and especially so when Neon’s vague and inclusive license statement give it so much access to further potential usage. Those terms include beta features that have no warranty, and the data set is a gold mine for a potential breach.
In TechCrunch’s reporting, they state that while testing the app it did not provide proper notification that the user was even being recorded during the call – and the recipient wasn't alerted about possible recording either. Given the popularity of the app, many users seem unconcerned about selling out their privacy. And given the amount of data breaches that occur over the course of a year, many people may figure that data privacy is a lost cause already. However, there’s a stark difference between having your car get broken into and leaving your keys in it.
How AI training puts you and your data at risk
Just like with a data leak, willingly giving away huge chunks of personal information can leave you open to serious consequences. For instance, once your information is out of your control after you hand it over to someone else, it can be sold, resold, exposed in a breach, leaked to the dark web and more.
AI models can reveal sensitive information, which may lead to potential issues with employment, lending or acquiring housing. Additionally, there are few safeguards or standards that are consistent with AI companies, and data breaches are becoming more and more common. Privacy issues could occur too and if a company is sold or goes out of business ,there could be legal complications.
Your data is like currency, which is why I recommend going to great lengths to protect it by investing in one of the best identity theft protection services and by installing one of the best antivirus software suites on all of your devices. You also want to make sure that you don't fall for phishing attacks and don't click on unexpected links or fall for scams. Why willingly hand over this information for such a cheap price?
The Neon Mobile app is climbing the rankings now but we'll see if it can maintain a top spot in Apple's App Store for long. Just like with the other security stories I cover, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is and that's the feeling I get with this new app. However, I could be wrong and Neon Mobile could be the first of many apps that pay your for your data for AI training. Only time will tell but based on what I've see and learned so far, I'd recommend avoiding it for now.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
More from Tom's Guide
- The TikTok ban saga appears to finally be over as reports suggest a deal has been done
- The top 3 cybersecurity risks posed by age verification
- Macs under attack from malware impersonating popular password managers — how to stay safe
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
