Two spam call blocker apps – “CallApp” and “Truecaller” – upload and consolidate information of the entirety of the users’ contacts into the apps’ databases, rendering it available for search by other users, the Consumer Council has found. For CallApp, the council found that it automatically uploads and integrates all contact information into the traders’ databases for other users to perform a “reverse lookup”. Truecaller also accesses and uploads users’ contact lists in a similar manner, but only when the user downloads an APK file from its official website, installs the app, and enables the “Enhanced Search Functionality”. The names and other information of these number holders are also made available for viewing without any need for approval from the relevant people. The privacy policy of CallApp stipulates that users’ personal data and unlisted data will still be stored in the developer’s backup system despite the five years retention period.

Source: The Standard May 16, 2024 16:24 UTC