Kled AI, US-based developer, has announced the removal of its application from the Nigerian app store, alongside an IP restriction affecting the region, citing what it described as an “unmanageable level of fraudulent activity” on the platform.
Kled is a data marketplace that rewards users for uploading photos, videos, and other multimodal content.
Avi Patel, 22-year-old founder, in his X handle, said the decision followed months of internal review, during which the startup found that a large share of uploads from Nigeria, including images, documents, and videos meant for AI training, were fake, duplicated, or generated by artificial intelligence.
Kled operates what it describes as an opt-in data marketplace, where users voluntarily upload personal content in exchange for payment, with the material later sold to AI labs for training models.
The startup said it has paid hundreds of thousands of users globally and processed over one billion data assets within four months of launch.
However, Patel said Nigeria stood out negatively.
According to him, the company reviewed a sample of 10 million uploads from the country and found that only a small fraction met quality standards required for AI training.
He added that the problem escalated when the platform was flooded with manipulated identity documents, including fake passports, during its verification process.
“As a startup, we cannot absorb the cost of filtering that level of bad data,” Patel said, noting that the company has now removed the app from Nigeria’s Apple App Store and imposed an IP ban on the region while it strengthens its fraud detection systems.
“On top of all of this, every time we make a post there is someone asking us to bring the region back within seconds. We hear you, but it’s gotten out of hand,” he added.
Despite the suspension, the company maintained that the move is temporary and not permanent.
“We’ve made this decision with great care. We love everyone who has genuinely supported Kled from Nigeria, and we hope to return when the time is right,” the statement concluded.
The decision has triggered backlash among Nigerian users, many of whom accuse the company of stereotyping and unfairly targeting the country.
Patel, however, insists the move is purely business-driven and not linked to race or nationality, stressing that Kled remains available in other African markets.
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