Egocentric data collection: what to check before you license a set
Some first-person footage is recorded on purpose, by a program that gives people a camera or an app and a list of tasks. That can produce clean, labeled footage in the places and languages a buyer wants. It also puts the rights in the hands of paperwork. This guide is for a company or program that already holds a collected set and wants to license it.
How a collection program works
- Contributors are recruited and agree to terms
- Each gets a rig or an app and a list of tasks
- They record real everyday tasks in their own places
- Footage is uploaded and checked for quality
- Contributors are paid, by the hour or by the task
- The program keeps the files, the labels and the consent records
What to check before licensing a collected set
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The contributor agreement | It must name AI training and the sale or license of the footage. A general consent to be recorded is not enough. |
| Who owns the files | The program must own them, or hold a license that allows it to pass the use on to a buyer. |
| Pay terms | Contributors should have been paid as agreed. An unpaid or disputed contributor is a rights problem. |
| Other people in frame | Family members, customers and passers-by appear in homes and shops, and each needs handling. |
| Places filmed | Home interiors, addresses and mail identify people, and some sites forbid filming. |
| Adults only | Contributors should be adults who could agree in their own name. |
| Law where it was filmed | Recording and biometric privacy rules differ by country and state. Counsel reads the rules that apply. |
| Withdrawal | What happens if a contributor asks to remove their footage, and whether the contract allows it. |
Regions and languages
Buyers often ask for footage from a particular country or language, because kitchens, tools, foods, signs and speech differ from place to place. A model trained on one region can fail in another. Tell us the country where the footage was recorded and the language of any narration, such as American English or Latin American Spanish.
A seller should list the share of footage by country and language. A buyer should say which it needs, and whether mixed regions are acceptable.
Footage collected for AI and footage recorded for something else
A set recorded for AI training with signed agreements is the easiest to license. Footage kept for safety, training or disputes was recorded for a narrower purpose, and its consent may not stretch. The company-held video guide covers that case: where the footage sits and how it is cleaned.
What we do and do not do
We are a broker. We work with companies and programs that already hold collected footage, and we take a summary and an approved sample to AI labs. We do not run a collection program and we do not recruit individual contributors. If you are a person looking to be paid for recording, this is not a collection platform.
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Questions about egocentric data collection: what to check before you license a set
What is egocentric data collection?
Recording first-person video on purpose, usually by many contributors doing real tasks, so that it can be used to train AI.
Do you collect footage for buyers?
No. We broker footage that a company or program already holds. We do not run collection or recruit contributors.
Can I get paid to record my daily activities through you?
No. We work with companies and programs, not individuals. Collection platforms that recruit contributors are a different kind of business.
What if contributors agreed to be recorded but not to AI use?
Then the footage is left out unless they agree again in writing. A general consent does not cover a license.
Does the country of recording matter?
Yes, for two reasons: buyers ask for particular places and languages, and the privacy rules differ by country.
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