Referencing the case “Tillman vs. Ally Financial” this story looked at how the MetroPCS Block-It app was being used as a lawyer referral service thus exposing the fact that First Orion maker of Metro PCS Block-It and other apps have used their apps to identify potential victims of TCPA violations and then sold that information to litigation lawyers for lucrative fees. smartphone app used by consumers to protect their “privacy” is actually – unbeknownst to those same consumers – sharing their private information with plaintiff lawyers. Nearly every week we at Hiya are approached by law firms and lead generation companies offering us substantial fees for the practices outlined in the Forbes story.
While users’ phone information may be luc switzerland phone number list rative it is highly sensitive and must be treated as such. We NEVER have and never will consider this type of practice. Hiya has always aligned with our users’ privacy and while the recently reported scenario is unfortunate now is a timely opportunity to reinforce our beliefs: We are not in the business of selling private consumer information. Hiya does not sell users’ information to third parties. This includes location data address book information and especially TCPA or FDCPA litigation leads. In addition we do not use such information for marketing other services.
We do not access personal information without asking for explicit permission. Should Hiya request access to information on a user’s phone we will always require consent before moving forward. We have a very short list of mandatory user information which helps us do our job and we allow users to change their mind once they have provided optional information to Hiya. If address book contacts are shared with us they do not leave the phone. While not required access to contacts helps us identify callers under the name they prefer to see. It also helps us filter out numbers that may look spammy but are actually legitimate like your doctor’s office . We let users correct or remove their own information within our services.
