Surveillance · Inside the code
The SDK reading messages for the state
A software kit bundled into popular apps quietly forwarded message metadata. A leaked copy shows what it collected.
By A. Okonkwo · Remote · · 11 min
A software development kit, embedded in several widely used apps, collected more than its documentation described. A leaked build lets us see exactly which fields it read and where they were sent.
the kit forwarded message timestamps and contact identifiers to a single overseas endpoint.
Read the code, not the privacy policy. The code does not need to be honest.
We describe what the code does in plain terms, and publish the relevant functions so others can verify the reading for themselves.
Methodology
knowless decompiled a leaked build of the kit and traced its network calls. Two independent researchers reviewed the findings.
Surveillance · Apps · Privacy