Comment by pixelatedindex

Comment by pixelatedindex 2 days ago

- Report fraud/scam calls and SMS directly from your phone.

- Block or track lost/stolen phones by disabling their IMEI so they can’t be misused.

- View all mobile numbers registered under your ID and report any unauthorized SIM cards.

- Verify if a phone is genuine with an IMEI/device authenticity check.

- Report telecom misuse, such as spoofed calls or suspicious international numbers.

The stated goal is protect users from digital fraud and safer telecom usage, who knows how good it’ll be. Probably a PITA.

radicaldreamer 2 days ago

So a pretty transparent way to tie IMEI to someone's identity and track their location under the guise of "finding lost phones" and "checking your phone's authenticity"

Reply View 3 replies

mlmonkey 2 days ago

IMEI is already tied to your identity. You need ID to buy a phone or a SIM.

Reply View | 1 reply
- radicaldreamer 2 days ago
  
  I think this is to crack down on sharing a SIM card which is registered to someone else. It ties identity + location + aggregates all SIMs registered to someone with their current location.
  Not to mention they can probably payload anything into the app whenever they want.
  
  Reply View | 0 replies
jeroenhd 2 days ago

That's already the case for most places around the world, unfortunately. Though, this does make the link rather obvious, which is a bit more surprising. Normally shady tracking just happens through a combination of data brokers and leaked databases.

Reply View | 0 replies

SanjayMehta 2 days ago

I've been using it since it came out. It does its job.

I was getting 5-6 scam calls per day, now down to maybe 1 in a month.

It's just a wrapper around their website (for now).

I think this app is harmless but I don't think it should be forced onto anyone.

Reply View 8 replies

cheema33 a day ago

> I think this app is harmless..
It may be today. And you have no way to know for sure. But there is also no way to know what the app will do down the road when a politician you do not trust is in control of it.

Reply View | 1 reply
- SanjayMehta a day ago
  
  Agreed. But they already have massive tracking capabilities. I don't they are so stupid that they'd do this in such an obvious way: too much scrutiny.
  CDOT's CMS system already exists in the background.
  
  Reply View | 0 replies
throwaway2037 2 days ago

This is great first hand feedback. I like these kinds of HN posts.
How do you think it works? Example: If enough people report, then some police agency investigates? Rinse and repeat enough times and the scam calls/SMS should fall?

Reply View | 3 replies
- SanjayMehta 2 days ago
  
  It partially automates the process of lodging a complaint against a call, SMS, or WhatsApp communication.
  On IOS, you still have to copy/paste the incoming number into a form, provide a screenshot of the message, date/time and it uploads the complaint to their systems.
  They inform you that they will not send updates.
  What I've observed is a huge drop in scammers, and new scammers get tagged as potential spam by the operator upfront. So they're doing something on the back end.
  You can only file a police complaint if you actually suffered monetary loss. I haven't, so I don't know how that works.
  The other benefit is that you can keep an eye on id theft used to get connections using your info. This is a huge problem in rural India. Scammers use this to create bank accounts to move money.
  
  Reply View | 2 replies
  
  throwaway2037 17 hours ago
  
  Another great post. Thank you. It is great to hear that haven't suffered any monetary loss and you are getting fewer scam calls.
  I have a "dumb" follow-up question: (Honestly, I don't understand the pushback here on HN against this app.) Do you feel it is invasive or acts as gov't surveillance on your mobile phone? What you describe sounds pretty good to me.
  
  Reply View | 1 reply
  
  SanjayMehta 12 hours ago
  
  As of now, it's completely passive. It's just a wrapper around their website with some features which reduce friction.
  For example, we have a DND (Do Not Disturb) system which is opt-in. Most people don't know about this. Originally signing up required a new user to send a series of text messages to register (opt-in) and select what kind of ads (spam) they would tolerate. For example you could say block everything except bank offers.
  This app walks you through the process.
  I keep a close watch on permissions etc which apps ask for. This app doesn't really want access to anything unusual.
  This on IOS, I know nothing about Android.
  
  Reply View | 0 replies
immibis a day ago

Can you uninstall it? That's the litmus test.

Reply View | 1 reply
- SanjayMehta a day ago
  
  At the moment, yes, as I installed it myself off the App Store.
  That's what the ruckus is: the govt wants to push it everywhere mandatorily.
  Right now it's harmless: it's just a way to report scammers and lost handsets.
  But who knows what they'll shovel into it tomorrow.
  
  Reply View | 0 replies