Think twice before downloading the viral app

The app Sarahah is making waves. Several users in the UAE have the app because it has been recognized as a platform for honest feedback. However, there's a flip side to it. Apparently, the app has been secretly uploading all the contacts you have in your phone.

A Fortune Tech report says that when users download the Sarahah app on their smartphones, it harvests and uploads all phone numbers and email addresses in your address book. In some cases, the app does ask for your permission to access your contacts but it does not say that it will be saving this data to its own servers.

The app's creator, Zain al Abidin Tawfiq, said in a tweet that this feature will be removed in a future update. He also said that it had been intended for a 'find your friends' feature. Speaking to The Intercept, Tawfiq also pointed out that the contacts featured were hindered by "technical issues" and that a former partner who was supposed to remove it "missed that". He also claims that the app stores no contacts in its databases.

Experts from security firms, however, say that is 'concerning'. Speaking to The Intercept, Drew Porter - the founder of security firm Red Mesa - said that even if users are okay with trusting the app with their contacts, the danger lies in the servers associated with the app. He also added that the information the company is getting could be what some consider as very private information.

If you value the safety of the details of those in your address book, think twice before you install the app even as it grows popular in the region.

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