Is Truecaller breaching the privacy of Nigerians?

Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency NITDA has commenced investigation into an alleged breach of privacy rights of Nigerians by the Truecaller Service. It claims that Truecaller’s privacy policy contains “illegitimate provisions” that contravene Nigeria’s Data Protection Regulation (NDPR). Daily Trust Saturday asks some Nigerians what they think about NITDA’s claim of breach of their privacy rights.

Foluso Adegbuyi, 28, Writer, Lagos

I don’t think the Truecaller app breaches the privacy of Nigerians because it is an app you sign up for. You cannot just register to use an app without knowing what it is used for. The use of this app is not compulsory, it is rather optional. So, before you register, you should know what it entails.

Samuel Boluwatife, Entertainment critic, Lagos

For me, true caller isn’t in any way breaching anyone’s privacy because there’s little to what it reveals. It gives the name and location, that’s all, and you’ll only need Truecaller for persons not already saved in your phone book, hence strangers. Truecaller only tells you the answer to questions you’d have asked such person(s). “What’s your name? Where are you from?” That’s not enough to breach the privacy of Nigerians.

Oladipupo Olukunga, 25, Content writer, Lagos

I disagree with the opinion that Truecaller is breaching the privacy of Nigerians. It is common knowledge today that nothing is hidden, especially with the advanced stage that technology has gotten to. Truecaller merely shares the name and information (as permitted) to other subscribers. As a Truecaller user, you have the option to select what sort of information is accessible and by who. Truecaller has helped Nigerians become safer and more aware, especially with the wide spread of fraudsters and spam messages with the intention to rob unsuspecting people. These perpetrators can no longer hide in plain sight, all thanks to Truecaller.

Justice J. Noah, 25, Banker, Kebbi

Anyone who knows exactly what Truecaller is all about can manipulate the app. The names that appear on Truecaller can be tricky because one can’t tell if it’s actually the caller’s real or fake identity. For example when I was in India, we used to change our friends’ names to their nicknames on Truecaller and when any of our friends call someone who uses Truecaller, the nickname appears and not the person’s true identity. So, one can actually manipulate their identity for theft purposes like using a line and saving it as US Embassy, this can be used to defraud someone who’s desperately trying to process their visa. This is a huge side defect of the app but not all users are aware of this and it’s a fast rising way for scam callers online. I remember a number that called my boss and because my boss uses the Truecaller app, it appeared on his phone home as fraudster. This would only happen when that same number has been named as fraudster by someone the person may have scammed in the past.

Temitope Ebiola, 26, Teacher, Lagos.

In my understanding, Truecaller is an app used to detect the true identity of a caller whenever the user gets a call from an unknown number. It also assists in letting the user know the name and location of the person calling. If a Truecaller user receives a call from an unsaved number, the app can match that number with a name and even a picture of the caller from its vast database. I wouldn’t call that breaching the privacy of Nigerians because it has helped so many people from becoming victims of fraud.

Oluwafisayo Omopariola, 27, Data Analyst, Abuja

Yes, I believe Truecaller is breaching the privacy of a lot people due to the exposure of people’s identity without their consent. Their mode of operation is entirely faulty because gathering people’s information behind their backs and publicizing this information is a big breach of people’s privacy.  The said organization sometimes misleads the public by publicizing fake and untrue information about their customers. I think there should be provision in the app that allows users choose whether or not they want their identity shared.

Adedamola Oni, 24, Transcription Editor, Lagos

Truecaller does breach our (Nigerians) privacy, as it does not only store personal information of users but makes it accessible to strangers who should not have access to those information in the first place.
Also, there are times when people need privacy or prefer to use pseudo or fake names because of circumstances, but Truecaller deprives one of this privacy. It’s really hard to give people a fake name nowadays because there is a tendency they have the Truecaller app and will fish you out. At the end, you will only feel embarrassed for withholding such information that they could easily access.
There is no doubt that Truecaller has lots of advantages but will I suggest that the management should revisit, rebrand and revise the app so as to avoid breaching the privacy of its users.

Idowu Sodli, 25, CS Agent, Lagos

The Truecaller app was created to monitor callers, callers’ identity, call blocking, recording and all. However, as Nigerians, we fail to always read the terms and conditions attached to a service or product, and we therefore abuse it or blame the product or service. We all agree to Terms and Conditions we are not aware of. Most people do not know what the content is. Truecaller is clearly breaching the privacy of Nigerians by disclosing some information we don’t want people to know about. However, its advantages supersede the disadvantages.