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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

#61

Post by GekkePrutser »

nmridul wrote: post #15
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.

Last two years, maany shops and malls started collecting names and phone numbers of visitors in the guise of COVID xontact tracking

But do people still put up with this? Here I haven't seen this for a long time.

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

#62

Post by bongoman37 »

fareesh wrote: post #4

When you install the app they steal your contact list and populate their database that way. Most people are unaware of this, or don't care since we are a third world country and privacy is seen as a first world problem. The vast majority of thinking here is not very sophisticated about these types of topics. Only a very tiny fraction of the total population is averse to sharing personal information like phone numbers…

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

#65

Post by techsupporter »

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…

> 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.

Even everyone's much-loved Signal does this. Contacts sync is presented as "not now" or "yes forever." The "not now" message even explicitly says they'll bug you again.

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

#66

Post by rootusrootus »

zerop wrote: post #18

Advantage it brought to me is that I can know if caller is spam and ignore/block the call. TrueCaller added value there.

I just assume every call not from a contact is spam and let them go to voicemail. It's even a built-in feature of the phone. That's the world we seem to live in now, where the POTS network has been thoroughly corrupted by the mere existence of SIP.

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

#68

Post by rootusrootus »

It is genius, really. Evil, but genius. Even just getting a reliable name for every number would be handy, I can see the value. But the killer feature is how much information your contacts leak in their description of you, so all of that can be correlated to build a more detailed picture of you.

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

#69

Post by geodel »

I am sure someone can build a truly privacy respecting service like true caller and billion plus phone users in India would just sign up for it for something like Rs 100 a month or would they?

It is astounding that common person understands the tradeoff when using free service but these ignoramus critics do not.

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

#70

Post by tompagenet2 »

techsupporter wrote: post #65
lelandfe wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

> 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. Even everyone's much-loved Signal does this. Contacts sync is presented as "not now" or "yes forever." The "not now" message even explicitly says they'll bug you again.

Are you sure? This page [1] says this is not the case

[1] https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007061452-Do...

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