Arlo Donate Video

✋ What is it?

This is a solution found in the Arlo Security app. An Arlo camera will record multiple videos of any motions that happen within its field of view. By default, Arlo doesn't use customers' video to train their vision algorithms and instead provide an option to donate videos for research.

🤲 How does this interaction or solution work?

Arlo is a security technology company that produces smart cameras, smart doorbells, and other security solutions.

One of Arlo's cameras' multiple features is the ability to detect people, animals, packages, and other objects. To train the machine learning vision algorithms that power this technology, Arlo needs video data.

Instead of defaulting to use customer's data, Arlo gives customers the option to donate data by "donating" particular clips to aid their research. This approach is especially helpful for situations in which their technology may be wrongly detecting specific objects.

🙌 How does this interaction or solution work?

Data Privacy and Trust

We live in a world where dozens of devices capturing data can surround a person. Companies like Amazon and Google have created new environmental devices like Smart Speakers and Smart Cameras that come tied to a sometimes unhinged use of customer data for machine learning purposes.

Rightfully many customers have voiced concerns about these practices, and there has been a growth in privacy-oriented solutions.

Modern UX requires a thoughtful process on how users may perceive technology and how that affects their relationship with products and brands.

Arlo understands that defaulting to a policy where they could freely use any recording coming from their cameras would hurt their reputation and damage the trust that a customer puts into the brand. To avoid this and still get the benefits of getting real-world data for training purposes, Arlo defaults to a policy where customers donate their video data.

This practice not only solidifies their customer's trust but also empowers users to acknowledge the importance of their data and their right to keep their data private.