Information Regulator receives complaint about Truecaller

[Jan]

Bad news about Truecaller in South Africa

The Information Regulator has received a complaint about Truecaller breaching South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia).

According to the complaint, which MyBroadband has seen, Truecaller harvests the address books of people who use their services.

 

[Swa]

Okay, who was the Pansy?

 

[RudderVator]

Probably one of the thousands of scammers and salespeople that get blocked that went to complain....

 

[LazyLion]

Okay, who was the Pansy?

some incomprehensible incompatible doofus nincompoop.

 

[My_King]

I am more than happy for Truecaller to identify me by my name.

 

[My_King]

Probably one of the thousands of scammers and salespeople that get blocked that went to complain....

I expect that as well

 

[HartsockZA]

Must be a **** company that complained like I give 2 cents True caller I still love you

 

[OCP]

Probably one of the thousands of scammers and salespeople that get blocked that went to complain....

SABC TV license department and their hired goons!

 

[PaulGherkin]

Okay, who was the Pansy?

Bet it was one of the scum debt collectors, MBD or such

 

[Quicks]

Shut them down together with all these spammers.

 

[RaptorSA]

The banks and insurance companies are the worst offenders.
I just don't don't care anymore. Just make it stahp!

 

[Neuk_]

Bad news about Truecaller in South Africa

The Information Regulator has received a complaint about Truecaller breaching South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia).

According to the complaint, which MyBroadband has seen, Truecaller harvests the address books of people who use their services.

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, *insertsolcialmediaplatformhere*, etc.

 

[bwana]

According to the complaint, which MyBroadband has seen, Truecaller harvests the address books of people who use their services.

Only if the user lets it. You have to actually grant it access, at least in iOS. I personally haven't.

 

[Digilus]

And with Google Gemini (or any other assistant) needing access to your contacts so you can reference them in your AI "digital assistant" tasks - I am sure that those get uploaded too Google too (across borders etc. too) In hindsight, imagine the fuss that people would have kicked up if we still had telephone books laying around (#joke)

 

[elf_lord_ZC5]

Spam Callers, fighting back ...

 

[Bad Ballie]

The thing is Truecaller works and stop you from accepting dozens of calls a week if not more. In fact a person like me who will not answer any call if the number isn't already in my cont5acts answers more calls using Truecaller then when not using it. My only complaint is the blue "verified User" calls when their information tells you nothing, so they get treated as red calls as well.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Bad news about Truecaller in South Africa

The Information Regulator has received a complaint about Truecaller breaching South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia).

According to the complaint, which MyBroadband has seen, Truecaller harvests the address books of people who use their services.

Ok cool, and what is the Information Regulator going to do?

Issue a stern warning to an international company to follow our laws?

 

[MrGray]

Ironic that the people who profess to care about privacy want to crack down on just about the only tool we have to protect it.

 

[IamNoone]

Spam Callers, fighting back ...Insurance companies, which make up the bulk of my spam calls, debt collectors looking for a guy call Thabo and a few sales numbers.

I was not asked to upload my contacts. Just for local access.

 

[deweyzeph]

As if Truecaller gives 2 craps what a pointless agency in a useless government of a relatively unimportant country thinks about how they conduct their global business.