NGL

Is NGL safe?

No, not for teenagers, and it is a weak choice for adults too. NGL lets you post a link on your Instagram or Snapchat story and collect anonymous messages from anyone who taps it. In July 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission and the Los Angeles District Attorney settled charges that NGL sent fake messages to sell a paid "reveal" that did not reveal anyone, claimed AI stopped bullying when users were reporting threats, and marketed the app to high school students. NGL paid $5 million and was banned from serving anyone under 18. We score it 38/100, one of the lowest scores among social apps.

What the FTC found

The complaint, filed with a stipulated order in federal court in California and approved 5-0 by the Commission, described a business built on teenage curiosity. According to the agencies:

• Fake messages. From 2022, NGL sent computer-generated messages that looked like they came from real people, such as "are you straight?", to keep users engaged and push them to pay.
• A reveal that was not one. NGL Pro, at $9.99 a week, was sold as a way to see who sent each message. Subscribers got hints, such as the sender's general location and phone type, not names. Executives reportedly called complaining users "suckers".
• False safety claims. NGL said its AI moderation filtered out cyberbullying, while users reported bullying and threats, and one described a friend's suicide attempt linked to the app.
• Targeting teens. Executives reportedly told staff to market the app to high school students, including through popular students on Instagram.
• Children's data and billing. The agencies said NGL collected data from children under 13 without parental consent, ignored parents' deletion requests and signed users up to recurring weekly charges without clear consent.

The order bans NGL and its founders from offering the app to under-18s, requires a neutral age gate for new and existing users, forbids misrepresenting who sent a message or what AI moderation can do, and requires clear consent and simple cancellation for subscriptions. Of the $5 million, $4.5 million went to refunds, which the FTC opened for claims in January 2026, and $500,000 was a civil penalty paid to the Los Angeles DA.

Anonymity cuts both ways

NGL's privacy policy says it does not store the name or social media handle of a message sender. It also says NGL may show paying subscribers "properties" of senders taken from their IP address and browser: what they sent, approximate location such as city and state, device type, version and mobile carrier. Senders do not need an account; they type their message on NGL's website.

For the person receiving messages, those hints are rarely enough to identify anyone with confidence, which was the FTC's point about Pro. For the sender, they can be enough to be guessed by a small group of classmates. Neither side gets the protection the word "anonymous" suggests.

What NGL does with your data now

The current policy, updated in October 2026 after Mode Mobile bought NGL, describes far more data use than the app's simple design suggests:

• On certain pages of its website, NGL runs Smart Recognition, an identity-matching service that uses a pixel and device fingerprinting to find a visitor's email address, ZIP code and demographics, then passes them to NGL for marketing.
• NGL shows offers and ads from Rokt's advertiser network and shares data such as approximate location and transaction details with Rokt to choose them.
• Users who opt in to Mode's rewards programs can share app usage, browsing or location data with Mode and its partners for points or cash.

NGL says it does not sell the data of people it knows to be under 16. Apple's label lists purchases, location and user content as data used to track you. Google Play's label says the app shares no data with third parties, which does not match the policy. Where the two disagree, we score on the broader one.

Who should be careful

Parents first. The age gate only checks the birth date a user types in, and a link shared on a teen's story invites messages from anyone who sees it, of any age, with no account needed. If your child uses NGL:

1. Talk about what anonymous messages tend to bring: guesses about crushes, comments on looks, and sometimes cruelty that would never be said with a name attached.
2. Do not pay for hints. The FTC found that the paid reveal did not reveal senders, and a subscription renews automatically.
3. Delete the link from social media stories and request account deletion if the messages turn hurtful.
4. Keep screenshots of threats and report them to the school or police; deleting the app first removes the evidence.

For adults, NGL is a game with a data cost: the people who answer your link are profiled too. A question sticker on an Instagram story or a group chat on Snapchat gets you replies with names attached, and without a second company collecting data on everyone who taps.

How we scored it

Privacy (25) is the weakest factor, because of identity matching, ad offers and data-for-rewards sharing that the Google Play label does not mention. Scams and harmful content (30) reflects the FTC's findings on fake messages, bullying and marketing to teens. Regulatory record (55) sits at the bottom of the band for one mid-size fine, because the settlement came with a ban on minors and covered children's privacy law. For a closed photo app that suits teens better, see Locket.