October 6, 2025, 1:15 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Stolen packages are annoying. But in a specific case, they can be helpful. How? Specifically, it involves certain Eufy surveillance cameras that operate with AI support. These are intended to help detect thefts and criminals. However, they also require the appropriate training data, which is not abundant. Therefore, everyone is asked to provide it. And “everyone” primarily means–the customers themselves.
Training Eufy Surveillance Cameras with Thefts
The unusual measure is not new, but it has only recently gained significant attention. The Chinese manufacturer Anker, also known here for its power banks, also operates the Eufy brand. The company sells Eufy surveillance cameras that function with the help of artificial intelligence. To improve these, they need to capture as many package thefts as possible. But that’s where the problem lies.
That’s why Anker called in December 2024 for videos with relevant content to be submitted. They offered two U.S. dollars per submission, and the recordings could be real or staged.
This means consumers could pretend to steal their own packages, as long as the Eufy security camera captured the act. But it wasn’t just about packages left at doorsteps; it also included attempts to break into car doors. For both offenses, Anker wanted up to 20,000 videos each.
Why Stolen Smartphones Are Now Ending Up in China
If users don’t comply, Samsung locks the smartphone.
Gift Cards and Cameras Await
The initial campaign ended in February 2025. However, as reported by “TechCrunch,” Anker has since launched new campaigns to train the Eufy surveillance cameras, such as “Enhance My AI.” The rewards can vary significantly.
In addition to a simple badge next to the username, customers can also hope for free cameras and gift cards. In the associated Eufy app, there is also supposed to be a “Wall of Honor” showing which users have submitted the most videos. The leader is said to have provided more than 200,000 “thefts.”
Technical Challenges Remain
Anker remains silent on how helpful the many video submissions are for Eufy surveillance cameras. At “Android Authority,” there is speculation that an AI system trained mainly on staged thefts might not be as effective as one fed with authentic cases. On the other hand, these occur much less frequently, and there is a risk of misjudgments.
Also of interest: What You Should Know About the Manufacturer Eufy
In addition to the problems encountered with “Enhance My AI,” user privacy also plays an important role. “The Verge” reported in 2023 that Anker tried to cover up the fact that supposedly encrypted camera transmissions were actually unencrypted and freely accessible. The company assures, however, that the issue has now been resolved with end-to-end encryption for every camera stream.