'Unjust and unfair' to be on the list, Truecaller on being part of 89 apps banned

The Swedish firm re-assures that the data in Truecaller stays safe and that it sees no reason why it should be there in the ban list.

Truecaller logo. (HT Tech)

The Indian Army recently asked a personnel to delete 89 apps from the smartphone as they may comprise the user's data. Truecaller was one of them. However, the company has now given a statement on the matter. The Swedish firm re-assures that the data in Truecaller stays safe and that it sees no reason why it should be there in the list.

“It is disappointing and saddening to learn that Truecaller is among the list of 89 apps being banned by the Indian Armed Forces for their personnel. Truecaller is an app of Swedish origin that considers India it's home. We also have immense respect for the Armed Forces and we stand in solidarity with them and the Indian government. We would like to reiterate that Truecaller remains safe to use, both for our citizens and for our esteemed armed forces personnel. We see no reason for Truecaller to be on this list and will investigate the matter further.Truecaller provides a vital service for over 170 million people in India, identifying and blocking hundreds of millions of spam calls and SMS every single day,” said the company spokesperson.

The caller ID and spam detection firm also gave a few reasons why it thinks that the Truecaller app being in the list is unfair and unjust.

The firm says that it stores all its data in India, even before the regulations took place. The app is permission-based and is disabled by default. In addition to this, the firm says that the majority of Truecaller employees globally are Indian and the app does not upload phonebooks or sell user data. “For women facing harassment, fraudsters who try to steal your money & for those facing a barrage of incessant spam - Truecaller is often the first and only effective line of defence,” added the spokesperson.