A new app, NEON, is โpaying usersโ 15 cents per minute to record โtheir phone calls โคfor artificial intelligence (AI) training purposes, raising privacy and legal concerns. The company collects the audio data to โคimprove โคits speechโค recognitionโ and language models, but the terms of service place โsignificant liability on participants.
NEON’s terms explicitly โprohibit users from selling or licensing โขrecordingsโ of their own calls to third parties, making them liable to NEON โขshould they do so. Participants also waive any claims regarding how NEON or its customers utilizeโข the recordings. Furthermore, โusers assume responsibility for any infringement of third-party โคrights occurring during the calls – such as reciting copyrighted material or humming a protectedโฃ melody – which could lead to costly legal issues if incorporated into large language models.Users are also liable if they use โคthe app in locations where it is prohibited. Conversely, NEON is barred from fraudulentโ practices, including manipulating โฃrecordings or engaging in one-sided conversations to generate data.
The app’s terms, as reported by Heiseโ Online, โคhighlight the complex legal landscape surrounding AI data collection and the โpotential โคrisks for individuals contributing to these โคdatasets. โWhile offering โa small financial incentive,the โฃagreement shifts considerable legal responsibility โonto the user,possibly exposing them to unforeseen liabilities.