Lux Capital Backed Cloaked, a consumer app for protecting user identity, today launched AI-powered caller screening and dark web monitoring capabilities.
Cloaked's caller screening feature, called Call Guard, calls from unknown numbers and talks with callers to understand their intent. This tool automatically removes spam or potentially fraudulent calls, rather than relying on users to make decisions. This is similar to what Google launched on the Pixel, or what Apple plans to deploy for iOS 26 users. Third-party companies like TrueCaller use AI for call screening.
Image credits: Croak
Users can see the full transcript of the call in real time just in case they want to take over the call. Cloaked was already working on developing a phone infrastructure for ID products that allow users to create new phone numbers that mask real numbers. Startups use their technology along with call forwarding to protect users from fraud.
“We are trying to use AI to understand the caller's intentions, rather than asking for the caller's name from the data that users share with us, from data that share a large number of spam and Medicare calls. We also observed that users were receiving calls from Bad AI agents.
Bhatnagar has confirmed that Apple and Google features are based on similar assumptions. He said people will sign up to try out these features, but their retention counts are low due to lack of personalization. That's why startups like cloakrooms can enter.
Handling inbound calls is Cloaked's first step, but the company hopes to enable outbound call facilities that deploy AI-Bots to keep the line during customer support calls or bookings. Cloaked is also working on ESIM products.
Additionally, startups are releasing dark web monitors for personal data. The company observes a variety of sources, including data brokers, breached sites, compromised websites, dark web forums, inconsistencies, and telegrams for leaking user data. This tool searches for name, address, social security number, email, family, passport, driver license.
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When you find such leaked data, the user will alert you. The company also forks these leaks into active/recent and historical events to help users take action on the data.
Image credits: Croak
The company also has a data deletion program that allows users to request a site or data broker to delete data. Cloaked sends programmatic and legal requests to these sites. The startup said it will help users get rid of more than 170 million records across the web.
Cloaked said it has added more than 100,000 paid customers since the start of the year, and has seen strong growth over a month.
Until 2023, the startup had raised $29 million in funding. Bhatnagar said the company is getting an additional $11 million in funding from a mix of existing and new investors, but said it has not defined the round or disclosed new investors as it plans to close the formal round by the end of this year.