TrueCaller
Truecaller is a caller ID app that identifies incoming calls, blocks unwanted numbers and gathers phone numbers and names from contact lists. It also performs reverse phone number search.
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Description
TIP: Prior to using Truecaller for passive research, users may prefer to access the tool with a research account instead of a personal account. Consider accessing the website with a browser in incognito or private mode.
How does it work?
Truecaller, primarily a caller identification app, can be a valuable tool for open-source investigations when used judiciously. While its primary function is identifying unknown callers and spam, it can provide additional insights with careful analysis. This tool can be accessed through the web or downloaded as a mobile application.
Apps like Truecaller are designed to provide information on the identity of callers or texters by utilizing "crowdsourced" data from other users who have installed the app. They typically offer a feature to search for a phone number and find matches, providing access or having a window to a shared "contact database."
Understanding Truecaller’s Features and Capabilities
This app has several features, but for the open-source community, these features are the most useful:
Reverse phone number lookup - Truecaller can often identify the owner of a phone number, providing basic information like name and location. It allows a user to enter a phone number and find out the name of the person to whom the number might belong.
Caller ID - If using the mobile app, this tool can identify the name behind a caller using its database. When a call comes in, Truecaller quickly searches its database and displays the caller's name and personal details, if available.
Ease of use and access - Ability to sign up with just a Gmail or Microsoft Live account, with no paywall or SMS verification required. This means to use reverse phone number lookup; users do not have to provide a phone number.
Web Interface - This is one of the few “contact book apps” with a web interface and does not require users to use only their mobile app.
(For paid subscribers) "Verified" badge - This means that the user with this badge on their profile has his/her identity verified and that "you are who you say they are".
Use Case: Digital Footprint Tracing Through Reverse Phone Number Search
If used with other tools and methods, open-source researchers can use Truecaller’s reverse phone number lookup when trying to ID an actor in an incident. If, for instance, researchers have a telephone number as a lead in their investigations, they can use this tool to generate more leads. A reverse phone number search may produce a name and a location, the countries they call most frequently, or the comments other app users make about them.
Truecaller has been used in this Bellingcat investigation:
Identifying the Russian GRU Commander associated with the MH17 crash: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2018/05/25/mh17-russian-gru-commander-orion-identified-oleg-ivannikov/ \
How Truecaller Builds Its Database
Truecaller primarily builds its vast database through a combination of user-contributed data and public directories.
User-Generated/“Permission-Based” Сrowd-sourced Data
Direct contributions: Users voluntarily add names, phone numbers, and spam/fraud reports to the Truecaller database.
Contact syncing: When users give permission to the app to sync their phone contacts with Truecaller, the app can access and potentially add this information to its database.
Caller ID feedback: Users can provide feedback on incoming calls, helping Truecaller identify spammers and scammers. According to the tool provider: “For example, If an insurance spam number is saved or reported as ‘Insurance spam’ by the maximum number of our users, then that is what the caller ID will show to the receiver of the call from that particular number.”
Public Directories
Public phone directories - This tool can access publicly available phone directories in some regions to supplement its database.
Public online directories - This app may also gather information from publicly available online directories and search engines.
Partnerships - Truecaller has partnerships with third-party platforms and can access certain data in this way.
Cost
In addition to the free version, the tool has three paid tiers: Premium, Family, and Gold. The information is available here: https://www.truecaller.com/premium/
Level of difficulty
Requirements
Either a Gmail or Microsoft email account
Mobile or desktop device
If using the mobile app, it requires Android 4.4 or higher, or iOS 15 or higher.
Android and iPhone devices have varying features availability according to this article. For a while, iPhone users have not been able to take advantage of getting the identification of callers in real time. However, as of January 2025, the tool provider has made it available for iPhone users.
Limitations
Limited Search Requests on Web Interface: Truecaller users doing searches on the web interface rather than the mobile app can only do a limited amount of reverse phone number lookups before it suggests downloading the mobile app.
The tool provider does not specify the quota, but users will get an “exceeded attempts” message. Based on our tests, only a few searches were granted before being prompted to download the app.
Mixed Accuracy of Names: Names on this tool have mixed accuracy. Because the data is crowd-sourced or manually entered by users, the name will sometimes depend on how it appears in other people’s phonebooks. For example, if a Truecaller user permits access to his/her phonebook, and the phone number of an individual under investigation is labeled “Neighbor,” it will appear as “Neighbor” in the contact list.
In addition, the names may not always reflect the individual’s true identity. Users can provide false names or names to a Truecaller user that do not correspond to the person behind the phone number, so the accuracy of a name may require further corroboration.
User Privacy Concerns: According to this article, the app may be uploading your device information into their servers, and the app may be using an unsecured method of uploading that data.
Truecaller Users' Ability To Change Name on the Tool: According to the tool provider, users who have the tool installed can change the way their name appears on the app if their phone number is showing the wrong name. Allowing users to update their name on Truecaller helps keep information accurate and up-to-date, improving user experience and reducing confusion. Still, this feature raises concerns about potential misuse, such as impersonation or fraud, if names are changed easily. While the tool provides a verification process to check the real identity behind a phone number, it may not entirely eliminate the risk.
Ethical Considerations
Use and misuse of information:
Because this tool contains personally identifiable information, it is crucial to understand that using Truecaller must adhere to legal and ethical guidelines before proceeding. It is also advisable that users double-check privacy laws prior to using Truecaller info in any investigation. Minimize harm when presenting or publishing investigations, and publish only necessary information relevant for investigations in the public interest (for instance, in investigative journalism).
Other privacy-related issues:
This article talks about the trade-off users make when using this tool: When a friend shares their phonebook with the Truecaller app, the app uploads that data to its database, making it available to other users. This means your name, number, and possibly even your email could be shared with Truecaller without your knowledge or consent.
What this means is that whether you use the service or not, and regardless of whether you delete your data from Truecaller's database, your information can still reappear. If even one person with your number registers for Truecaller, your details could be added back into the system. Additionally, if you don't use Truecaller, you can't verify if the company has your data.
Moreover, the privacy policy seems to imply that if you share someone else's personal information with the tool, you must ensure they are aware of and consent to the tool's use of their data. (See the third paragraph of the privacy policy)
Enhanced Search Feature Privacy Risks:
Users need to note that when signing up with an email address, users outside the EU might inadvertently give permission to upload data associated with a particular email address without realizing it. This feature is called "Enhanced Search Feature". It is checked on the box by default when signing up. Keep an eye on this if you decide to use the tool.
Item 1.4 of its Privacy Policy shows where you get the app matters. If users download it from sources other than the App Store or Google Play, such as on the web, it might collect your contact info if you turn on a specific feature called “Truecaller Enhanced Search Functionality.” If you use the Enhanced Search feature, Truecaller can collect names, phone numbers, Google IDs, and email addresses from your contacts list.
Guides
See the following Bellingcat guide on Truecaller and similar Contact Book Apps:
“Using Phone Contact Book Apps For Digital Research”, Aric Toler
Tool provider
Truecaller, Sweden
Advertising Trackers
Afton
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