Sarahah app has no doubt created a quite a buzz ever since its launch. While anonymity and honesty are its USP, turns out the app is not being really being honest with its users. The app is reportedly uploading user’s phone contacts to the company’s servers.
Sarahah app has no doubt created a quite a buzz ever since its launch. While anonymity and honesty are its USP, turns out the app is not being really being honest with its users. The app is reportedly uploading user’s phone contacts to the company’s servers.
This odd behavior was spotted by security analyst Zachary Julian, and the app is doing it for a feature that is yet unreleased, The Intercept reports. When the report got out, app founder ZainAlabdin Tawfiq took to Twitter to clarify the reason behind the app’s odd behavior. Tawfiq says that the contact lists are being uploaded on the company’s servers for a ‘find your friend’ feature that got ‘delayed due to a technical issue’. Tawfiq further tweeted that the “database doesn’t currently host contacts and the data request will be removed on next update”.
Julian discovered the app’s odd behavior when using a monitoring software called BURP Suite. This software essentially intercepts internet traffic entering and leaving the device thereby allowing users to see what data is sent to remote servers. “As soon as you log into the application, it transmits all of your email and phone contacts stored on the Android operating system,” Julian told the publication. He further said that if one doesn’t use the app for sometime, it will share the phone’s contacts with the server.
It is no secret that the Sarahah app (iOS and Android) asks for access to your contacts. But it works just as well, if you don’t give the app access to the contacts. But those users who have allowed access, have their phone’s contacts saved on the servers.
Now it is not uncommon for apps to seek access to one’s phone contacts. But what will no doubt irk users is how Sarahah is collecting the data for a feature that may or may not be launched any time soon. You sure wouldn’t want your data to be collected by an app for a feature that doesn’t exist yet. Tawfiq’s tweets, and promise to remove the contacts after the next update comes as little to no solace.
Sarahah shot to prominence soon after launch, with its USPs being anonymity. As of August, the app has more than 62 million users, and it is among the most downloaded apps on the Apple App Store. A vast majority of users however are on the fence when it comes to understanding if this app is really helpful or actually promotes cyberbullying.
The article was originally published in BGR India
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