Viral AI actress' hotline face-scans every caller, watches their mood
Viral AI actress Tilly Norwood's video hotline requires biometric face-scan age checks and non-optional emotion inference, raising significant privacy concerns.
Xicoia Ltd, the UK company behind AI character Tilly Norwood, requires every caller of its Talking Tilly hotline to pass a video-selfie age check run by Spain-based identity provider Didit, with a government ID upload as fallback. During calls, the system continuously analyzes the caller's camera feed and voice tone to infer emotional state, generates responses with Google's Gemini via the Tavus conversational video platform, and records and transcribes calls through US providers, retaining transcripts up to eight weeks. Both the age check and mood sensing rely on 'legitimate interests' rather than consent, consistent with UK Online Safety Act age-verification requirements and the upcoming under-16 social media ban, and the service shuts down permanently on September 27, 2026.
- Callers must pass a Didit video-selfie age check; Xicoia says no faceprint or biometric template is stored.
- Every call's camera feed and voice tone are analyzed to infer mood; this cannot be disabled per call.
- Calls are recorded, transcribed, and processed live by US providers; Gemini generates responses via Tavus.
- Legal basis is 'legitimate interests' rather than consent, per a September policy change.
- Context includes the UK Online Safety Act age checks; the service closes September 27.
- Tags
- age-verificationbiometricsdiditemotion-recognitionprivacytilly-norwooduk-online-safety-actxicoia
- Products
- GeminiTalking Tilly
- Organizations
- XicoiaPiers Morgan Uncensored
- Countries
- United KingdomSpainUnited States
- AI models
- Gemini
From the original article
4 min read at bleepingcomputer.com
AI actress Tilly Norwood went viral after glitching into Chinese on Piers Morgan Uncensored last night. Her "Talking Tilly" video call service face-scans every caller for an 18+ age check, senses callers' moods during calls, and shuts down permanently on September 27. We tried it and read the fine print.
By Ax Sharma · bleepingcomputer.com
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