MUMBAI: An app that creepily lets almost anyone trace mobile phone numbers to their owners is the latest craze among Indian smartphone users. Available for most handsets — including the iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Symbian phones — TrueCaller, when installed on a mobile phone, extracts phone numbers from the user's contact list and uploads them to a global crowd-sourced cellphone directory of sorts.
"I installed it to alert me when unknown numbers called," says Mumbai-based PR executive Sanaya Vakeel who used the app to look up numbers of her friends and family. "I was shocked when it had name and other details about almost every person I knew," she says.
Today, there are 3.4 million users of the app, out of whom almost 1.1 million are Indian. The app is being used to carry out more than 6,00,000 searches every day by Indian users, according to TrueCaller. And it is the growing popularity of the app that is making its database exhaustive.
Rohan Agarwal, a marketing executive from the city, says, "It's spooky how the app works. Not many know that their contact lists are being uploaded on to this new global directory."
Agarwal hasn't downloaded the app and prefers using the website, www.truecaller.com, to look up numbers.
TrueCaller is a Stockholm-based company that operates with a team of 10 people. "We connect to White and Yellow Pages worldwide. This means our users can search for information about callers from all around the world in one app - either via web or mobile," says CEO Nami Zarringhalam. He assures: "The security of our users and their friends is the highest priority. Anyone who downloads the TrueCaller app can choose to opt in or out of the crowd-sourced data at any time."
Vakeel, who continues to use the app, says she has unlisted her number from the directory to protect her identity. "I realized I could continue using the app without worrying about my number being made available with it," she says.
Approximately 3,000 Indian phone numbers have been unlisted on TrueCaller.
What's interesting is that because it is a crowd-sourced directory, the app identifies the numbers by throwing up name, pet name and job details, just like they are stored by people in their contacts lists.
"Our algorithm puts together the most likely names out of the crowd-sourced information by analyzing the content. The algorithm learns and evolves so that we can offer the most relevant and accurate information. However, if there is a wrong listing we urge people to let us know," says Zarringhalam. "In the upcoming version of TrueCaller, users will even be able to control their own information displayed by TrueCaller."
This talks about Technology Management in carrying out cell phones, smartphones, smart phone, mobile, it firms, android phones, laptops, technologies.
"I installed it to alert me when unknown numbers called," says Mumbai-based PR executive Sanaya Vakeel who used the app to look up numbers of her friends and family. "I was shocked when it had name and other details about almost every person I knew," she says.
Today, there are 3.4 million users of the app, out of whom almost 1.1 million are Indian. The app is being used to carry out more than 6,00,000 searches every day by Indian users, according to TrueCaller. And it is the growing popularity of the app that is making its database exhaustive.
Rohan Agarwal, a marketing executive from the city, says, "It's spooky how the app works. Not many know that their contact lists are being uploaded on to this new global directory."
Agarwal hasn't downloaded the app and prefers using the website, www.truecaller.com, to look up numbers.
TrueCaller is a Stockholm-based company that operates with a team of 10 people. "We connect to White and Yellow Pages worldwide. This means our users can search for information about callers from all around the world in one app - either via web or mobile," says CEO Nami Zarringhalam. He assures: "The security of our users and their friends is the highest priority. Anyone who downloads the TrueCaller app can choose to opt in or out of the crowd-sourced data at any time."
Vakeel, who continues to use the app, says she has unlisted her number from the directory to protect her identity. "I realized I could continue using the app without worrying about my number being made available with it," she says.
Approximately 3,000 Indian phone numbers have been unlisted on TrueCaller.
What's interesting is that because it is a crowd-sourced directory, the app identifies the numbers by throwing up name, pet name and job details, just like they are stored by people in their contacts lists.
"Our algorithm puts together the most likely names out of the crowd-sourced information by analyzing the content. The algorithm learns and evolves so that we can offer the most relevant and accurate information. However, if there is a wrong listing we urge people to let us know," says Zarringhalam. "In the upcoming version of TrueCaller, users will even be able to control their own information displayed by TrueCaller."
This talks about Technology Management in carrying out cell phones, smartphones, smart phone, mobile, it firms, android phones, laptops, technologies.
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