Truecaller Content Guidelines

Welcome to the Truecaller Content Guidelines ("Content Guidelines"). The Content Guidelines are designed to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. By signing up for or using Truecaller's websites, applications, and services, you acknowledge and agree to these Content Guidelines in addition to the applicable Truecaller Terms of Service and Truecaller Privacy Policy (collectively the “Terms”).  

In compliance with the Digital Services Act (the “DSA”), we may periodically update these Content Guidelines, with the latest version always available on our website.

Prohibited Content

You confirm that any information or content you share within Truecaller, including your profile information, messages, public comments, or other shared data (“Content”), is, to the best of your knowledge, accurate, compliant with applicable laws, and free from any elements that could disrupt or damage the Services. You are solely responsible for the content you provide. We encourage you to engage thoughtfully and respectfully, bearing in mind your accountability in ensuring your content aligns with our Terms and these guidelines.

To ensure a safe and secure environment, we prohibit certain types of content on our platform. The following types of content are strictly prohibited. 

  • Misleading or Scam
    1. Scams or Fraudulent: Any content intended to deceive users into providing personal information, financial details, or engaging in fraudulent schemes. This includes phishing, impersonation, or any other deceptive practices.
  • 2. Repeated Spamming: Repeatedly sending unsolicited messages, promoting content, or disturbing others through spam, such as bulk messaging or advertising.
  • Nudity or Sexual Content
  • 1. Sexually Explicit Content: Any nudity or sexual content intended for sexual gratification, including pornography, is not allowed.
  • 2. Child Exploitation or Abuse Material: Strictly prohibited. Any content involving the exploitation or abuse of minors, including any form of child pornography or material that depicts or promotes child exploitation, is forbidden.
  • False Information
  • 1. False Information and Fraud: Misrepresenting information to deceive users, including content promoting fraudulent activities or misleading claims.
  • 2. Misinformation Related to Security: Sharing content that attempts to deceive or manipulate users about the security of our platform, including malicious software or misinformation about the security of our services.
  • 3. Copyright infringement: Publishing content that infringes on intellectual property rights, including the unauthorized use of copyrighted material, trademarks, or other protected works.
  • Violence
  • 1. Terrorist Propaganda or Promotion of Violence: Content promoting terrorism, inciting violence, or glorifying acts of terrorism, including material encouraging violent actions against individuals or groups.
  • 2. Harassment, Threats, or Targeted Hate Speech: Any content that harasses, threatens, or targets individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. This includes any form of hate speech or discriminatory content.
  • 3. Profanity: Content containing excessive or offensive language that violates our commitment to a respectful community environment.

Content Moderation at Truecaller

We seek to enforce these guidelines consistently across our ecosystem. In addition to responding to user reports, we use a combination of technology and human review to identify and prevent the appearance of prohibited content on our platform.

We are dedicated to respecting user privacy and avoiding unnecessary monitoring, ensuring that our content moderation efforts are proportionate and targeted. Our moderation focuses on specific types of content that may violate our guidelines, as detailed below.

  1. Automated Detection:
  • Public comments: We use automated tools to analyze public comments to identify terms or patterns that may indicate prohibited content, such as hate speech or harassment.
  • Spam and fraud detection: We protect our users from spam and disruptive behaviors by employing automated methods that analyze calling patterns and incorporate user feedback, such as spam reports, to enhance our spam and fraud detection capabilities.
  • Image detection: Our automated image detection systems are designed to identify and flag harmful visual content, such as violent imagery or hate symbols, specifically on profile pictures. This process focuses solely on profile images, ensuring a safe and respectful environment while not applying to other images or media shared elsewhere.
  • Collecting user feedback: We provide expanded layouts in the after-call screen interface, offering users more ways to share feedback. This includes commenting on data accuracy or reporting inappropriate content, which helps us continuously improve our services.
  • Verification questions: We simplify user participation in moderation efforts through low-threshold questions like “Was this caller a spammer?” This approach ensures ease of use and encourages active user input.
  • Name suggestion: We invite users to submit name suggestions, which enhances data quality and supports the accuracy and integrity of the information we display.

  1. Human Review:
  • To ensure accuracy, fairness, and compliance with the applicable laws, all automated decisions are subject to human oversight. Our team of moderators reviews flagged content to verify violations and take appropriate action.

When you use Truecaller Messaging we process the contents of the messages to deliver them. We do not monitor the content of your messages except for where we are permitted or required to do so by law and we are not responsible for your actions or conduct (whether online or offline) or content (including illegal or objectionable content). 

Reporting Violations and Complaint Handling Process

Truecaller reserves the right to monitor, review, and remove any content that violates these Content Guidelines. If you encounter any content that you believe violates these Content Guidelines, please report it to us immediately through the “Report” link that appears in the detailed view of the content itself in the Trucaller application. Truecaller users can learn more about how to identify, block, and report spam calls and messages on Truecaller here. 

Anyone can report content on Truecaller, even if they do not have a Truecaller account. If you don't have a Truecaller account or can't see the content you'd like to report, you can also report it here. Please keep in mind that reporting something to Truecaller doesn't guarantee that it will be removed.

Ensure that your submission includes clear details about the specific content in question, including relevant links and descriptions (if any). Please note that abuse of our reporting process may restrict your ability to submit requests in the future. 

Violations and Consequences

Violating the Content Guidelines, or contributing illegal content, can lead to actions such as content removal, account suspension and/or termination. We prioritize maintaining a safe environment; therefore, if your account has previously been terminated, you may not use our Services, and any attempts to circumvent prior enforcement, such as creating new accounts, might be prohibited. We consider a variety of factors when deciding the appropriate sanctions including the frequency and severity of the content.

In line with the Digital Services Act, all users will be notified of any action taken, including the specific reasons for the action, along with references to the relevant policy or legal provisions. Instructions on how to appeal the decision will also be provided. If you disagree with a content decision we have made, you can raise that decision with an out-of-court dispute settlement body that has been certified by the competent Digital Services Coordinator in order to resolve the issue.

Last updated: 26 November 2024