The trade-off in terms of privacy vs. protection is significant, claims one tech expert
Does Truecaller, the app that claims to protect you and a billion others that have downloaded it from unwanted calls, threaten your privacy? In spite of what you might think, you should be concerned about sharing your phone number through Truecaller, tech experts claim.
Truecaller promotes its mission as being to build trust everywhere by making communication safe and efficient. And it should be noted that it does receive an Editors Choice shield on GooglePlay.
But while it may work well as a caller ID and spam-blocking app at a time when we certainly need someone to defend us from all the bogus calls/texts we get, some facets of Truecaller's data collection post substantial privacy questions.
For instance, when you sign up for Truecaller, the app not only collects your phone number but also uploads your entire contact list to its database. As a result, even if your friends have not chosen to use Truecaller, their numbers can still end up in a publicly searchable database, potentially compromising their privacy, claims MakeUseOfs Pankil Shah.
The line in the sand
On the flip side, however, if you haven't signed up for Truecaller, your phone number could still be added to its database if someone who uses the app has your number saved. Thats where Shah thinks things go wrong.
Truecaller's data access extends beyond just your contacts. When you install Truecaller on your phone, the app also requests permission to access your call logs and messages, and you cannot use the app unless you grant these permissions, he wrote.
It's logical that an app focused on tracking phone calls would need some data, but it also raises questions about whether such extensive data collection is necessary to accomplish the app's core features. Moreover, the company could gain detailed insight into your communication patterns and personal life by accessing your call logs and messages.
Losing it
At a time when the app landscape is ripe with companies that know too much about our kids, what we pray for, and our mental health, the last thing we need is one harvesting our personal data and risking losing it. But, just last week, a massive data leak involving Truecaller reportedly exposed the personal information of 273 million Indian users.
In today's global day to day, whathappens in Bombay can just as easily happen in Boise or Baltimore. And, just like AT&T and mSpy users found out in their recent data breaches, those Truecaller users in India woke up to find that everything from their phone numbers and genders to their Facebook IDs could already be on the Dark Web.
Unlisting your phone number from Truecaller
Luckily, Truecaller makes things simple if you want to remove your phone number from its database. To start, you need to deactivate your account. This GuidingTech how-to video offers a simple way to do that:
Shah recommends that once you've deactivated your account, you might want to unlist your phone number to ensure your contact information does not appear in the Truecaller database. Here's how to do it:
- Open a web browser on your phone or computer and head to Truecaller's phone number unlisting page.
- Scroll down and select the No, I want to unlist button.
- Enter your phone number in the text box, specify your reason for opting out, and hit the Unlist button.
- Copy the SMS code that appears and send it to Truecaller using the phone number you want to unlist. You can also do this by scanning the displayed QR code.
- After sending the message, return to your browser, and you should see a confirmation message.
If you do an unlist, itll take about 24 hours for your number to be deleted from Truecallers database.You should also know that Truecaller says that, by unlisting your number, "unlisting cant be reversed, theres no spam protection, and people wont know when youre calling." Shah adds that Truecaller won't allow you to unlist a phone number if it is marked as spam in their database.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-07-15 11:16:47
