Viber uploaded your entire contact list when you installed it. Your friends' phone numbers — sent to Viber without their knowledge. A class-action lawsuit alleged Viber recorded calls without consent. Your data enters their system because someone you know hit "install." Sound familiar? It's the Truecaller model with a chat interface. Viber encrypts your one-on-one chats. Group chats? Not encrypted. The company still collects who you talk to, when, and where you are. Viber is owned by Rakuten — Japan's largest e-commerce and advertising company. Your messaging app is a subsidiary of an ad company. The encryption protects the message. The metadata powers the ads.
What they claim: Viber describes itself as a private messaging and calling platform
What we found: Viber settled a class-action lawsuit in 2017 over allegations it intercepted and recorded phone calls and messages without consent. The app was found to upload users' entire contact lists to Viber servers upon installation — including phone numbers of people who never used Viber. Like Truecaller, your data enters Viber's system because someone you know installed the app.
What they claim: Viber promotes end-to-end encryption for private messaging
What we found: Viber's end-to-end encryption only applies to one-on-one messages and calls — group chats, communities, and channels are not end-to-end encrypted. Viber collects metadata including who you talk to, when, for how long, and your location. The app is owned by Rakuten, one of Japan's largest advertising and e-commerce companies. Viber introduced ads, stickers, and business messaging — all powered by user data.