The Sync.ME is the app (or platform) more popular, a growing range of offers that promise a number of additional features to our contacts list.
They allow, for example, the association of profile photos from various social networks, fill in several details for each record and even reminders for birthdays, with the possibility of personalizing cards, which we can then send to the birthday boy.
But as is often the case with these services, it is necessary to realize how well things work, and how we may inadvertently expose sensitive information.
Sync.ME, what’s the use?
Sync.ME is a Caller ID app. The main purpose is to identify calls, by collecting data from social networks such as Facebook or LinkedIn.
The concept is simple. We install the app on our smartphone, and then it starts indexing our contacts and cross-linking the information with our social networks in order to complete the information.
After this operation, Sync.Me adds the following features to our dialer :
- Identification of calls and SMS (unknown numbers)
- Classification of calls as SPAM (useful for the insistent of Telemarketing)
- Synchronization with social networks (including profile photo)
- Contact Blacklist
- Birthday reminder with personalized greeting cards
In addition, the Israeli company also allows the association of the geographical location to the profile of the contact, and it is also possible to search through the browser, therefore it is not necessary to be a user of the app.
Privacy Concerns at Sync.ME
This crowdsourcing mechanic, or collective contribution, makes the whole process quite reliable and ensures that certain features actually have a positive impact.
The results of barring or blocking a number are effectively functional because it is feedback from a large group of users that allows the correct identification of a particular contact.
However, a number of privacy issues arise, especially if we take into account previous information that anyone with Internet access will have at their disposal a fully-identified telephone directory of users who do not even use the service.
The European Commission Working Group on Article 29 (which would later give rise to legislation in the meantime implemented as a General Data Protection Regulation) sent a letter expressing various concerns about the processing of third-party data, despite Sync.ME LTD. be a company based in Tel Aviv and, as such, not belong to the group of Member States.
On the Internet, we are the product
While it is true that Sync.Me can provide a very attractive range of information for our calls and SMS, it is equally true that your business model is based on the sharing of sensitive information for many.
Being the product of research around which the service revolves, it will continue to be interesting when we realize (because let’s face it, no one reads the terms of use and terms of service) of the quantity and specificity of personal data that are shared?
How to disable Sync.ME and remove our ME Card
If the answer to the previous question was no, you can request the removal of the data, from the surveys with our number. Just go to https://sync.me/optout/ and fill out the form:
We suggest the use of a false email (we have determined that there is no validation or confirmation that involves a functional account) to avoid adding another element of identification to the system.
You should also access the various social networks, where Sync.ME collects the data for crossing, and cancel the association of the same to the platform.
In the case of Facebook, for example, we find this space in the area of Settings> Apps and sites.
In case we have the application installed on the smartphone, it is necessary to first delete our ME Card, otherwise, the information collected will remain in the network.
To do this, go to the Settings menu> Reset> Delete Account. Then just follow the usual procedure to uninstall an app.
It is also important to remember that we are not “safe” because just someone we know uses Sync.ME so that our number and more information will be revealed again, but at least so we know that we take measures not to be us to do it, even in more detail and detail.
