← the record
AIAAIC-1179

Replika shares user data with advertisers

AI chatbot Replika makes little effort to protect its users' privacy, according to a research study. According to a May 2023 Mozilla Foundation assessment of mental health apps, Replika is one of the worst apps Mozilla has ever reviewed', and 'a hot mess of privacy and creepiness'. The bot is 'plagued by weak password requirements, sharing of personal data with advertisers, and recording of personal photos, videos, and voice and text messages consumers shared with the chatbot,' Mozilla found. And, despite its privacy notice saying it would never share user conversations with advertisers, their behavioural data is 'definitely' being shared and 'possibly sold' to advertisers, the researchers warned. System 🤖 Replika Operator: Developer: Luka Inc/Replika Country: Global Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts Purpose: Provide companionship Technology: Chatbot; NLP/text analysis; Neural network; Deep learning; Machine learning Issue: Privacy; Transparency

Date it happened
2023-05-01
Product, system or model
Replika
Where this came from
Share this incident
XLinkedInFacebookWhatsAppEmail
Attribution

This incident was imported from AIAAIC and is used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Our additions to it — the structured fields, the translation, the checks against other reports — are published under the same licence.

This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.