Overview

• TechCrunch’s network analysis showed Neon’s servers returned other users’ transcripts, public links to raw audio files, and recent call metadata, including both parties’ phone numbers and payout amounts.
• Founder Alex Kiam took the servers offline and emailed users that the app was paused to add security, but the notice did not disclose the data exposure.
• Neon had rapidly climbed to No. 2 in Apple’s U.S. Social Networking charts by paying 15–30 cents per minute for calls and selling recordings to AI firms under a broad, transferable license.
• Privacy and legal experts warned that recording only one side of calls appears designed to avoid certain wiretap consent laws and that so-called anonymized voice data could still enable fraud or impersonation.
• Apple and Google have not commented on the app’s status, it is unclear whether any data was exfiltrated, and there is no timeline for if the service will return or for any regulatory response.