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TrueCaller built a billion-dollar caller ID data empire in India

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Re: TrueCaller built a billion-dollar caller ID data empire in India

#51

Post by thelittleone »

lelandfe wrote: post #37
inglor wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife installed TrueCaller on her phone. She is technical but not a developer. I asked if she knows they steal your contact list and spy on you and her answer was “so? It’s just phone numbers and names and they need to get the data somewhere as they are providing the service for free” I live in a developed country and we have a high standard of living. Giving this anecdote to illustrate many people genuinely don’t…

It's worth noting that Instagram does this too, under the guise of "Find Your Friends." When you sign up for a new account, they aggressively prompt you to sync your contacts list with the app, and will continually prompt you in the future if you choose not to. Nearly all of my friends have this enabled. This is not a one-time sync, either. It will upload future new contacts and changes. And, finally, if you manage t…

Contact lists should be treated like PII and have laws and technical controls against sharing them without the permission of the contact. Incredibly difficult to do no doubt. But if people are ok to share their contact let them. Let others opt out.

Re: TrueCaller built a billion-dollar caller ID data empire in India

#52

Post by malfist »

Brajeshwar wrote: post #2

I believe, Truecaller is an auto opt-in and you have to manually opt out if you want your number not be listed. I had to "unlist" my number manually. Check if your number is already in and then unlist at https://www.truecaller.com/unlisting

I just tried to put my phone number through it and it gave no indication of success or failure. Pulled up the debugger and see that it gives a 400 exception of "ProfileNotDeactivated" when I submit my number.

Seems seriously shady.

Re: TrueCaller built a billion-dollar caller ID data empire in India

#53

Post by lotsofpulp »

rootusrootus wrote: post #8
Brajeshwar wrote: post #3

I have had many experiences where I tried to order tea at a small tea-stalls (digitally empowered) on the streets of India, and first thing they ask is my phone number! I reject anyone asking my phone number unless dire and a must-one. I also noticed that almost everyone will blurt out their number when anyone ask them.

Some businesses do exactly the same thing in the US. It is fascinating to be a bystander and hear how willing most people are to just give over their phone number. And of course, not just the store could be recording it, anybody within earshot could.

Most people do it to get a discount, or convenience of some sort such as a text when your food order is ready for pickup.

Re: TrueCaller built a billion-dollar caller ID data empire in India

#54

Post by rootusrootus »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #53
rootusrootus wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some businesses do exactly the same thing in the US. It is fascinating to be a bystander and hear how willing most people are to just give over their phone number. And of course, not just the store could be recording it, anybody within earshot could.

Most people do it to get a discount, or convenience of some sort such as a text when your food order is ready for pickup.

Many times, yes. But even places like great clips do it, and they're not giving discounts. At best, they might send you ads that give you coupons you could have gotten anyway.

Always worth remembering, in any case, that someone always registers -867-5309. Use that to get discounts wherever, like Safeway. I remain a little surprised they didn't long ago put that number pattern on a blacklist.

Re: TrueCaller built a billion-dollar caller ID data empire in India

#57

Post by freebuju »

Truecaller is massively popular in my country as well.

Before I knew any better, I was ignorant of the permissions and saw it as a worthy trade-off since my contact(s) will somehow end up there, if they weren't already. As all it takes is for someone else who has saved my number to download the app and give it permission.

Didn't give them much thought until I started seeing them buy advertisement spots in some of the local daily newspapers. They were getting greedy for more data. From that moment, I deleted my account and created a new account signed in only with a random Microsoft login and the app now lives in the work profile where there are no contacts.

The app will refuse to work until you grant it permission to make calls (read your IMEI pre-Android 10) and obviously read contacts permission. It is also quite intrusive. Coincidentally, the other app I found employing such dirty tactics by refusing to launch at all before being granted sensitive permissions is Whatsapp.

Re: TrueCaller built a billion-dollar caller ID data empire in India

#58

Post by geodel »

happylion0801 wrote: post #24

Indias privacy laws are truly lacking. I am surprised that the government hasn’t enacted any laws for this yet. I have a number of stories for this. Indians are so used to this that sometimes people are shocked when I say no to sharing information that they request. For example in a startup, the HR reached out on WhatsApp to all employees in a group and asked for certain documents and information etc. About Truecalle…

Yeah, I truly wonder when 80 percent of population surviving on less than 2-3 dollars a day why doesn't government just double down on privacy first leaving everything else aside.

Re: TrueCaller built a billion-dollar caller ID data empire in India

#59

Post by el-salvador »

nindalf wrote: post #43
redtriumph wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In India, privacy is always secondary. I remember, last time I was at jewelry shop in Western MH, I had to provide PAN card or Aadhar card since purchase warranted this check. W/o even thinking, folks in my family forwarded those details on Whatsapp.

PAN Card - Tax identification Aadhaar - “Universal” identifier. Needed for pretty much anything. Including, apparently, buying jewellery.

Is it like in El Salvador, where the Unique ID number is even needed to pay the $2 water bill?

Re: TrueCaller built a billion-dollar caller ID data empire in India

#60

Post by GekkePrutser »

nindalf wrote: post #43
redtriumph wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In India, privacy is always secondary. I remember, last time I was at jewelry shop in Western MH, I had to provide PAN card or Aadhar card since purchase warranted this check. W/o even thinking, folks in my family forwarded those details on Whatsapp.

PAN Card - Tax identification Aadhaar - “Universal” identifier. Needed for pretty much anything. Including, apparently, buying jewellery.

So if you're a tourist you can't buy anything? Weird.

Spain has a similar thing for this, you have to give your NIE/DNIe number everywhere. Like when ordering something online. But not in brick and mortar shops.

Still I find it a very poor practice in terms of privacy.

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