Aug 17, 2025, Posted by: Ra'eesa Moosa
Why Is Truecaller Under the Spotlight in South Africa?
Itâs not every day you see a popular app like Truecaller under fire for its business tactics, but that's the reality in South Africa right now. The Information Regulator has launched an official investigation after South African companies complained that Truecallerâs way of handling spam calls might actually be crossing the line on privacy and fairness. At the heart of the uproar is Truecaller's so-called 'pay-to-whitelist' policy. Basically, some businesses say they have to cough up cash to escape the dreaded spam label on the app. Thatâs tough if your business relies on calling clients and you suddenly get flagged as a nuisance just because you wonât pay a fee.
POPIAâthe Protection of Personal Information Actâsits at the core of South Africaâs privacy laws. It was put in place to keep peopleâs details safe and make sure companies donât misuse personal data. But some businesses believe Truecallerâs system is brushing up against those rules in a big way. Their main worry? They say Truecaller lets anyone report a number as spam and then asks companies to pay for 'whitelisting' so their calls donât end up ignored or rejected by users.
What Does This Mean for Businessesâand Your Data?
Letâs break down whatâs really bugging everyone. First, even if a business is legitimate and just calling to confirm a booking or remind you about an appointment, they might get listed as spam if a few users hit the report button. Once theyâre flagged, getting off that list isnât so simpleâit might involve paying a fee. South African businesses argue that this creates an unfair system and puts smaller companies at a big disadvantage.
As for regular folks using Truecaller, yes, the app helps you dodge scam calls and endless telemarketers. But behind the scenes, it collects and shares tons of contact details. The investigation is looking at whether this data collection fits with South Africaâs strict privacy laws, especially when it comes to business numbers and how theyâre classified or sold.
- Some businesses claim theyâre listed as spam even without proof they made unwanted calls.
- Truecallerâs payment model may pressure businesses to pay just to stay in good standingâsomething critics call a 'pay-to-play' setup.
- The Information Regulator wants to know if personal and company data is being handled and stored properly, as required by POPIA.
This is shaping up to be a test for the whole call-screening industry, not just Truecaller. If the findings go against them, other apps working in South Africaâand maybe even in other African marketsâwill have to think hard about how they make money and treat user data. Itâs a reminder that balancing privacy, safety, and fairness is anything but simple in todayâs digital world.
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Comments
One Love
This is wild đ¤ I use Truecaller every day to block scams, but paying to unblock legit businesses? Thatâs not safety, thatâs a tax on being visible. Someoneâs making bank off our frustration.
August 17, 2025 AT 21:32
Vaishali Bhatnagar
So they let anyone tag a number as spam then charge to fix it? Sounds like a scam wrapped in a safety app đ¤ˇââď¸
August 18, 2025 AT 18:56
Disha Gulati
This is just the beginning. Theyâre building a global database of every phone number and selling access to the highest bidder. Governments donât even have this kind of control. Wake up people. Theyâre not protecting you-theyâre profiling you.
August 19, 2025 AT 11:54
Abhimanyu Prabhavalkar
Oh so now businesses have to pay to not be labeled as spammers? Wow. I guess the free market means you pay to exist. Brilliant.
August 20, 2025 AT 02:48
Avijeet Das
I get why people use Truecaller. I do. But this model feels like itâs turning privacy into a paywall. If a small shop gets flagged because one angry customer clicked spam, thatâs not justice. Thatâs systemic bias.
August 20, 2025 AT 13:08
RANJEET KUMAR
Small biz owners are getting crushed here. Imagine running a clinic and suddenly your appointment reminders get blocked because someone didnât like the call timing. Pay to be heard? No. Fight to be heard. đŞ
August 21, 2025 AT 04:28
Dipen Patel
I love that Truecaller blocks scammers but this whitelist thing? Itâs not fair. Why should a local bakery pay to be seen? This isnât tech innovation-itâs exploitation. đ
August 21, 2025 AT 19:38
Sourav Sahoo
This is beyond unethical. Theyâre weaponizing fear. People think theyâre safe, but theyâre being manipulated into accepting a pay-to-play system where money decides who gets to communicate. This is digital feudalism. Iâm uninstalling today.
August 22, 2025 AT 16:15
Priya Classy
The structural flaw here is that Truecaller treats business numbers as if theyâre inherently suspicious. POPIA requires consent and purpose limitation. If a company hasnât violated any law, why should its number be treated as spam by default? The burden of proof is inverted. This isnât protection-itâs algorithmic presumption of guilt. And the financial barrier to correction makes it a regressive tax on commerce. No wonder SMEs are collapsing under the weight of these opaque blacklists.
August 23, 2025 AT 15:38
Bharat Singh
Theyâre selling access to your contacts and charging businesses to be decent đ¤Ą
August 24, 2025 AT 05:44
Mansi Mehta
So if I report your number as spam because I hate your sales pitch, you have to pay to fix it? Thatâs not a privacy tool. Thatâs a bribery system disguised as tech.
August 25, 2025 AT 01:17
Sathish Kumar
People think apps are free. But theyâre not. Youâre the product. And now you have to pay extra to not be treated like a criminal. We are all just data points in someoneâs spreadsheet.
August 25, 2025 AT 13:23
Amit Varshney
The Information Regulator's intervention is both timely and necessary. The pay-to-whitelist model constitutes a prima facie violation of the principles of non-discrimination and proportionality under POPIA. The aggregation and monetization of business contact information without explicit consent, coupled with a commercialized delisting mechanism, creates an undue burden on lawful enterprise and undermines the very intent of data protection legislation. Regulatory clarity must be enforced to prevent the privatization of public communication infrastructure.
August 26, 2025 AT 05:04
Sourav Zaman
Truecaller is just doing what every app does-monetize your data. The fact that youâre surprised means you never read the TOS. Also, if your business is so legit why are you even on a spam list? Maybe youâre just bad at calling? đ¤
Author
Ra'eesa Moosa
I am a journalist with a keen interest in covering the intricate details of daily events across Africa. My work focuses on delivering accurate and insightful news reports. Each day, I strive to bring light to the stories that shape our continent's narrative. My passion for digging deeper into issues helps in crafting stories that not only inform but also provoke thought.