Never heard of TrueCaller? They might have heard about you. Here is how you can unlist yourself

Explainer

Post date

28th May 2019

Could an app you have never even heard of put you at risk? This is what happened to Chloe (real name has been changed), an investigative journalist exposed by an app that her source was using.

Her source was using TrueCaller, an app that aims to identify phone numbers so users can filter out calls, even if it is from a number they have never encountered before. TrueCaller relies on users tagging numbers who are calling them. And when your number is tagged there is no way for you to know that you are in TrueCaller’s database.

Chloe’s story, which we are publishing today, is evidence of the concrete threat that TrueCaller can be to those working in a hostile environment.

This is not the first time TrueCaller is called out for their bad practice. Back in 2017, the Article 29 Working Party, an independent European advisory body on data protection and privacy (now replaced by the European Data Protection Board under the EU General Data Protection Regulation), had already questioned TrueCaller’s compliance with data protection laws precisely because they process non-users’ data without their consent.

We asked TrueCaller to step up and to send an SMS to inform non-users when their number has been entered in the database. Unfortunately, TrueCaller is currently refusing to consider this option.

However, there is already something you can do if you are concerned about your number being entered in the TrueCaller database.

TrueCaller has an “unlisting” option for non-users. Go to this page: https://www.truecaller.com/unlisting and enter your phone number.

Our campaign

When Social Media makes you a target

Our fight

Safeguarding Peoples' Dignity

Learn more

Rights Defenders and Journalists

Social Media Surveillance

Related learning resources

Explainers

Social media monitoring in the UK: the invisible surveillance tool increasingly deployed by government

Privacy International presents how the use of social media monitoring by governments and companies is an increasingly prevalent one, and as this article explores, largely unregulated.

Long Read

When Local Authorities aren't your Friends

UK Local Authorities are looking at people’s social media accounts as part of their intelligence gathering and investigation tactics.

Explainer

The use of social media monitoring by local authorities – who is a target?

In the UK, Local Authorities (Councils) are looking at people’s social media accounts, such as Facebook, as part of their intelligence gathering and investigation tactics in areas such as council tax payments, children’s services, benefits and monitoring protests and demonstrations.

This has particular consequences and a disproportionate negative impact on certain individuals and communities.

Long Read

History of the UK Regulators' concerns regarding Local Authority use of social media monitoring

In October 2019 Privacy International sent Freedom of Information Act requests to every Local Authority in Great Britain in relation to their use of social media monitoring. You can find our report here.

Below are extracts from the annual reports of the The Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) and Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPC) which relate to Local Authorities use of social media monitoring.

The Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) and subsequently the Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPC) regulate and oversee how public authorities use the investigatory powers available to them under existing law.

Never heard of TrueCaller? They might have heard about you. Here is how you can unlist yourself

Related Content

Social media monitoring in the UK: the invisible surveillance tool increasingly deployed by government

When Local Authorities aren't your Friends

The use of social media monitoring by local authorities – who is a target?

History of the UK Regulators' concerns regarding Local Authority use of social media monitoring