AI Girlfriends Don’t Just Steal Your Heart, They Steal Tons Of Your Private Data

AI Girlfriends Don’t Just Steal Your Heart, They Steal Tons Of Your Private Data

Time Stamp: February 16, 2024 11:37 AM

Tyler Cross Tyler Cross
Published on: February 16, 2024

If you’ve downloaded and used any of the free “AI girlfriend” apps, be warned that your private information is being harvested.

Many of these chatbots claim that they take privacy protection very seriously, but that’s far from the truth, according to a study by the Mozilla Foundation. Hidden beneath the guise of an easy way to find an online companion lingers an extreme invasion of your privacy.

The Mozilla Foundation conducted a study on various AI girlfriend apps to see how they handled user data. The findings were disappointing but unsurprising, given AI’s track record with intrusive data handling.

According to the survey, 73% of apps don’t share what they do with your data. Mozilla found that the harvested information includes:

  • Financial information.
  • Prescriptions.
  • Your sexual health and gender-affirming care.
  • Identity and location data.
  • Device and network info.
  • User content (what you say in conversations).
  • And more.

Mozilla outlined one particularly offensive app, CrushOn, for collecting and selling all of the above. As CrushOn is an NSFW platform, it’s very likely that more “personal” data was collected as well. There are more prying eyes on your private selfies than you may have thought.

In fact, Mozilla only found two apps that didn’t actively sell user data (Eva AI Chat Bot and Soulmate). A spokesperson for Replica (one of the most popular AI dating apps) denied the accusations.

“Replika has never sold user data and does not, and has never, supported advertising either. The only use of user data is to improve conversations,” it said.

Best practices for using an AI girlfriend include don’t tell them anything you wouldn’t be okay with your boss seeing. Unless you’re a fan of some strange new-age cyber voyeurism, don’t tell any AI chatbot anything personal.

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