Traveling Phonebook? I do not think so!
Truecaller is known for identifying spam and unknown callers. Like every other useful application, it gives the user a sense of security. However, there is a catch that most users do not know of. If you are a Truecaller user, you might be endangering your entire contact list without you even knowing. The reality is, there is a certain setting that you must turn off immediately in order to save your contacts.
The Wrongful Use of Your Data with Truecaller
The reason why people download Truecaller is to block unwanted calls. What most people fail to recognize is that when you register for the app, your complete contact list is synced and uploaded to the app’s mainframe. This includes the profile names, numbers, emails, and, on occasion, even the profile images of everyone saved in the user’s phone.
Providing such data improves the database configuration of the application; however, your private contacts could and would be searchable by others. The scary part is, those people might not even be Truecaller users.
Why This Is An Issue With Privacy Frameworks
Imagine everyone you know personally, like family, friends, colleagues, or even the physician you occasionally visit, can be indexed on a public database without their explicit permission. Now, that is not just uncomfortably creepy; it is legally and ethically questionable in some sense.
Here’s Why It Matters:
– Informed Consent is Non-Existent: In this highly interconnected digital world, individuals do not have the necessary information and therefore have never consented to any form of sharing or uploading of their personal data.
– Exposure/Ethical Privacy: The numbers linked with certain private individuals or small-scale businesses are now visible to the public.
– Hacking (Phishing): With phishing becoming a central concern nowadays, hackers can scour publicly available databases of caller IDs for both marketing and phishing scams.
– Corporate Espionage: Either competitors or hostile sub-national actors can obtain contact data for business espionage.
Hence, even if Truecaller does not sell user data, the act of sharing data broadly for caller ID purposes indicates that users’ contact lists and data are not as secure as they presume.
Steps to Examine and Turn Off This Setting That Poses Risks
If you are getting worried, well, good! With some app adjustment, you can manage your privacy. So, here is how to disable your contacts syncing and stop Truecaller from uploading your phonebook with no end:
Directions in Detail:
1. Launch Truecaller.
2. Click on the profile icon placed on the top left side of the screen.
3. Select Settings > Privacy Center.
4. Search for “Improve your experience” or “Contact Upload” options.
5. Disable the setting.
In case you want to stop Truecaller from accessing your phonebook altogether, you can head to your device settings and revoke contact permissions.
User Feedback: Their Experiences
Reddit and Twitter have highlighted grievances regarding Truecaller’s activities:
> “I never consented to my number being public yet it appears when people search for me on Truecaller. That is frightening!”
> — A user expressing concern on Reddit
> “I’ve moved on and changed numbers but my previous number still shows my name and workplace — which I never updated!”
> — User on Twitter
In most cases, users’ names and outdated information remain associated with their accounts long after they have stopped using the application unless they take action to unlist themselves manually.
Go a Step Further? Unlist Your Phone Number Completely
Even if you are not a user of Truecaller, your number might still be listed if a person who had you saved in their contacts used the application. Follow these instructions to unlist your number:
1. Visit [https://www.truecaller.com/unlisting.
2. Type your phone number along with the corresponding country code (like, for example, +91 for India).
3. Finish the CAPTCHA and request submission.
For the next 24 hours your number will be deleted from the database— so they claim.
Concluding Remarks: Your Privacy Is in Your Control
Applications such as Truecaller offer useful services, but they often come with hidden consequences. As a default, the application is designed to gather phonebook information from the users, meaning that their contacts become part of the system whether they agree to it or not.
Before installing or updating any apps, it’s always wise to evaluate the following:
– What permissions it requires
– What information it collects
– If that information is shared or sold
In this era, practicality must never be given priority over permission. So, take a few moments to change that setting in Truecaller. You might help save your contacts from being silently exposed.
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