Popular Neon App That Pays Users To Share Call Recordings Remains Down For Now - Here's Why

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Neon app has a information flaw that tin expose telephone data.
• The app has been taken offline for now.
• The developer expects nan app to return successful 1 to 2 weeks.

People trying to gain money by sharing their individual telephone conversations pinch nan caller Neon app will person to find different measurement to make income, astatine slightest for now. On Thursday, nan work was taken down by its developer aft nan find of a superior information flaw that fto Neon users entree nan telephone recordings and different information of chap users.

TechCrunch said it recovered nan information vulnerability during a trial of nan Neon app. The flaw exposed nan telephone numbers, telephone recordings, and transcripts of Neon users to anyone signed successful to nan app. In its research, TechCrunch learned that nan servers utilized by Neon were failing to forestall immoderate logged-in personification from accessing different person's telephone data.

While making trial telephone calls, TechCrunch's Zack Whittaker said he saw a database of his caller calls and really overmuch money each telephone earned. That's nan measurement nan app is expected to work. But utilizing a web study tool, Whittaker uncovered specifications not disposable done nan app, including a transcript of nan telephone and a URL to nan audio files, accusation anyone could position arsenic agelong arsenic they had nan link.

Also: This app will salary you $30/day to grounds your telephone calls for AI - but is it worthy it?

In consequence to nan flaw, TechCrunch alerted nan developer, Alex Kiam, who took down nan work and notified users via nan pursuing email message:

"Thanks for utilizing nan app! Your information privateness is our number 1 priority, and we want to make judge it is afloat unafraid moreover during this play of accelerated growth. Because of this, we are temporarily taking nan app down to adhd other layers of security. You will not beryllium capable to make calls aliases rate out, and nan app will temporarily show $0 successful your account, but your money has not disappeared. The app will beryllium backmost online soon. Stay tuned!"

In a connection sent to ZDNET, Kiam cited nan information vulnerability arsenic nan logic for nan app's vanishing act.

Also: Does your generative AI protect your privacy? New study ranks them champion to worst

"We took down nan server successful bid to protect people's privacy, fixed nan information vulnerability," Kiam said. "So nan app doesn't activity correct now. We are moving to a) hole nan vulnerability and b) do a thorough information audit. When some happen, we will relaunch. 1-2 weeks."

In my testing, I was still capable to find and download nan app. But I was incapable to footwear disconnected nan registration process, which simply triggered an correction connection instead.

How Neon works

Initially launched successful July for iOS and Android users, Neon offers a caller rotation connected a measurement to make money from your individual data. Officially known arsenic Neon - Money Talks, nan app pays you for definite telephone conversations that you stock pinch nan institution down nan app. Recordings of your telephone calls are past sent to AI developers who usage natural language to train their chatbots.

Only calls made aliases received done nan Neon app are recorded. Neon will springiness you 30 cents per infinitesimal erstwhile you speak pinch different Neon user. In that case, some sides of nan speech are recorded. You'll gain 15 cents per infinitesimal erstwhile you speak pinch a non-Neon user. Here, only your extremity of nan telephone is recorded and shared. You tin gain up to $30 a time by sharing your calls pinch Neon. The institution will besides dole retired a $30 referral interest for each personification you person to usage nan app.

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Neon promises to anonymize your calls, successful which lawsuit it removes names, numbers, addresses, and different PII (personally identifiable information) earlier nan calls are shared. The telephone recordings are encrypted and sold only to trusted and vetted AI companies, according to Neon.

Despite nan assurances to protect your privacy, nan developer seems to person neglected to decently trial and vet nan app against information weaknesses. The conception of sharing your backstage telephone calls to make a fewer bucks seems for illustration a slippery roadworthy to take. But nan uncover of this information vulnerability raises moreover much reddish flags astir nan app and nan worth of your privacy.

"Historically, erstwhile group person signed up for caller services, they've often agreed to position they don't publication and without grasping what they mightiness beryllium trading away," Aditya Hindocha, VP for relationship partnerships astatine mobile phone, electronics, and appliances security institution SquareTrade, told ZDNET.

Hindocha said laws alteration crossed jurisdictions, and regularisation doesn't ever support up pinch nan velocity of technological advancement. 

"This intends consumers request to beryllium much responsible for what they are signing up for and giving up," he said. "People request amended consciousness of what they're sharing and really their individual information mightiness beryllium stored, used, and monetized acold into nan future. The adage 'if it seems excessively bully to beryllium true, it astir apt is' still rings true. When you're getting paid for thing seemingly trivial, it's worthy questioning what it is you're really selling."

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