Truecaller is Under Fire in South Africa Amid Allegations and a Probe into Privacy Breaches

Truecaller is under fire in South Africa amid allegations and a probe into privacy breaches that have sparked a heated debate about data protection and user rights. The popular caller ID app, widely used to identify unknown numbers and block spam calls, is now facing tough scrutiny from South Africa’s Information Regulator because of complaints that the app might be violating the country’s data protection law, the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

At the heart of the controversy are claims that Truecaller wrongly tags some businesses as spam and then demands payment to remove those labels. Truecaller strongly denies these allegations and says it never charges for what it calls “whitelisting.” Instead, the company insists that the permissions it asks for, especially to access users’ contact lists, are necessary to provide its service and are in line with POPIA’s requirements. Their argument is that they don’t misuse or collect personal data beyond what’s needed for their caller ID function.

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Even so, the situation raises serious privacy red flags. Experts like Lucinda Botes, a senior attorney in South Africa, warn that Truecaller’s practice of showing information about people who have never even downloaded the app is a legal and ethical problem. According to Botes, the app’s use of such data clashes with the core POPIA principle of “openness” — meaning companies must tell people how their personal information is collected and used. But here, many individuals’ phone numbers appear in the app without their knowledge or consent because these numbers come from other people’s contact lists.

This issue doesn’t just affect personal users. Businesses can also be harmed when their contact information appears incorrectly or is labeled as spam, potentially damaging their reputation. POPIA gives businesses the right to protect themselves by asking for their details to be corrected or removed if they appear wrongly in databases like Truecaller’s.

Truecaller points to features like its “unlisting” tool, which allows anyone to remove their number from the app’s database as a way to address these privacy worries. The company also argues that notifying every non-user whose data is stored would be impossible from a technical and practical standpoint. Despite these defenses, privacy watchdogs and regulators are not convinced and have launched a full inquiry to get to the bottom of these concerns.

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The outcome of the investigation will be important beyond just Truecaller’s case. It will set a precedent on how tech companies handle personal data in South Africa, a key issue as the country’s digital economy grows fast. This case will test how much convenience and innovation tech platforms can offer without crossing privacy lines or disrespecting users’ rights. As more African countries develop their digital spaces, the balance between data privacy and technological growth will only become more critical.

For now, with Truecaller under fire in South Africa amid allegations and a probe into privacy breaches, many people are watching closely to see how regulators will respond and what this means for apps that rely on user data to function. The investigation will show whether these apps can continue to operate as they do or if stricter rules are needed to protect everyday people’s privacy in the digital world.

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