AI companion privacy: what to check before you sign up

AI companion privacy is not an abstract concern. You are about to tell a piece of software things you might not tell your closest friend, pay for it with a card whose statement someone else may read, and carry it on a phone that sits on the kitchen table. Before you sign up anywhere, there are six things to check: what happens to your data, what shows on your bank statement, what your notifications reveal, how age is verified, which law protects you, and whether the app locks. This guide walks through each, then explains how Bunny Tease handles it.

Why AI companion privacy needs a checklist

The category is growing fast and unevenly. According to TechCrunch citing Appfigures (August 2025), AI companion apps made $82 million in the first half of 2025, with 337 revenue-generating apps and 128 launched that year alone. Many of those are small teams shipping quickly. Some are careful with your data; some haven't thought about it.

The regulators have started to. On April 10, 2025, Italy's data protection authority fined Luka Inc., the company behind Replika, EUR 5 million for processing personal data without a valid legal basis and without effective age verification, a decision published by the European Data Protection Board. In September 2025 the US FTC opened a child-safety inquiry into companion chatbots, and on November 25, 2025 Character AI barred under-18s from open-ended chat. The lesson from both continents is the same: a companion app collects intimate data, and the basics have to be right.

1. Data: what is stored, for how long, and can you delete it

A companion that remembers you is a database about you. That's the feature. The privacy question is whether you can see and control that database.

What to check:

• Export. Can you download your conversations and stored memories? Under GDPR this is a right; a good app makes it a button.
• Deletion. Can you delete your account and all associated data in one place, without emailing support?
• Memory visibility. Can you see what the model has remembered, and delete individual items?
• Generated media. Are photos and clips you download marked as AI-generated? This protects you if a file ever leaves your device.

How Bunny Tease handles it: export and deletion of your data are on a single screen, no support ticket required. Every model's Memory panel shows what she remembers, and you can erase memories one at a time or all at once. Files you download keep their AI marking.

2. Billing descriptor: what appears on your bank statement

This is the check most people forget until the statement arrives. The name on the line is set by the payment processor, and it may or may not match the brand you signed up with.

What to check:

• Look for a help-center article on "what will appear on my statement".
• If there isn't one, ask support before paying.
• Consider whether a subscription or a one-off token purchase is more discreet for your situation.

How Bunny Tease handles it: the label on your bank statement depends on the payment provider. We don't promise a specific wording in articles because it can differ by provider and country; the help center has the current details. Cancellation is free at any time with access kept until the end of the paid period, and the price of every action is shown before you confirm it, so nothing on the statement will be a surprise.

3. Notifications: what your lock screen reveals

A companion that writes first is one of the best features in the category. It's also a privacy risk if the notification shows her name and the first line of her message on a locked phone.

What to check:

• Can notifications be set to show nothing but the app name?
• Are there quiet hours?
• Does she message during an active conversation, which can produce duplicate alerts?
• Can you choose how often she writes first, or is it fixed?

How Bunny Tease handles it: notifications are neutral by default, with no model name and no message preview. Models write first at one of three frequencies you choose, never between 10 pm and 8 am, and never while you're already in a conversation.

4. Age verification: the check that protects everyone

An adult platform that doesn't verify age is a legal risk for the company and a reputational risk for you. It also tells you how seriously the operator takes rules in general. Replika's EUR 5 million fine was in part for the absence of effective age verification. Character AI's under-18 ban came after lawsuits.

What to check:

• Is verification independent, or a date-of-birth field?
• Does the check happen before adult content unlocks, or only at signup?
• Is there a non-explicit mode for people who haven't verified?

How Bunny Tease handles it: you can try a model as a guest without an account, and that conversation stays non-explicit. Adult content is reserved for verified adults through an independent age verification, not a self-declaration.

5. GDPR and your legal rights

If you're in the EU or UK, GDPR (and the UK's version of it) gives you rights that a companion app must honour: access to your data, correction, deletion, portability, and a lawful basis for processing in the first place. If you're in the US, protections vary by state, but a company that meets GDPR standards generally meets yours too.

What to check:

• Does the privacy policy name a lawful basis for processing conversation data?
• Where is the company based? The footer usually says. Candy AI's operator is registered in Malta, DreamGF's in Romania, Kupid's in Cyprus, Nomi's and Replika's in the US. Where a company sits affects which regulator you can complain to.
• Is there a 14-day withdrawal right for EU purchases?

How Bunny Tease handles it: EU customers have a 14-day withdrawal right on purchases. Export and deletion are self-service.

6. App lock and device discretion

Even with neutral notifications, an open app on a shared phone tells the whole story. The app itself should lock.

What to check:

• Can you lock the app with a code, fingerprint or face?
• Is there an app-store listing that shows up in your purchase history or on a family-shared account?
• Does the app appear in your phone's recent apps with a revealing thumbnail?

How Bunny Tease handles it: the app locks with a code or fingerprint. It installs as a PWA from the browser on iPhone, Android and desktop, so there is no app store listing, no store purchase history and no family-sharing exposure. You can remove it like any home-screen icon.

The checklist in one table

FAQ

Are AI companion apps private?

Some are, some aren't, and the marketing rarely tells you which. Judge an app by concrete behaviours: whether you can export and delete data yourself, what the notification shows on your lock screen, whether the app locks, and whether age is genuinely verified. A company that gets those four right has usually thought about the rest.

What shows up on my bank statement for an AI girlfriend app?

Whatever descriptor the payment processor uses, which may differ from the brand name. Check the app's help center before subscribing. On Bunny Tease the label depends on the payment provider, and the current wording is documented in the help center.

Can I use an AI companion without giving my real name?

You usually need an email and, for adult content, an age verification. The verification is designed to confirm you are an adult, not to build a profile. What you tell the companion in conversation is up to you; on Bunny Tease you can read and delete every stored memory, so nothing you share has to be permanent.

Is it safer to use a web app than an app-store app?

For discretion, often yes. A PWA installed from the browser doesn't appear in a store purchase history or a family-shared account. Native apps have advantages of their own (background features, store review), so it's a trade-off, not a rule. Bunny Tease, Candy AI and Kupid AI all use the PWA model; Replika, Nomi and Kindroid have native store apps.

Before you sign up

Run the six checks on any platform, including ours. If you want to see them in practice, start a guest conversation at /start with a model like Naïma Cissé, then open the Memory panel and the notification settings before you decide. Plans are on /pricing.

Bunny Tease is reserved for verified adults (18+).