Skip to main content

A popular virtual keyboard leaked the personal data of 31 million users

It seems there’s been another sizable data leak, this one affecting 31 million users of the popular customizable virtual keyboard app Ai.type.

The personal information — all 577GB of it — was exposed online because the Israel-based maker of the app had failed to secure its database server, according to Kromtech Security Center, which exposed the leak.

Recommended Videos

Reports suggest that the data in question, which has been verified by ZDNet, includes full names and email addresses of Ai.type users, as well as dates showing when the cross-platform app was installed. Each record also reveals the user’s registered location, such as their city and country.

For reasons currently unclear, some of the leaked information is reported to also include details linked to Google profiles, such as birth dates, genders, and profile pictures. Around 10 million email addresses were also found, as were some 373 million phone numbers seemingly taken from the contacts of registered users’ phones, though as ZDNet pointed out, “It’s not clear for what reason the app uploaded” such data.

The app’s website insists that information input by those using Ai.type is “encrypted and private,” but it appears the database was not encrypted, with researchers claiming that at least some of the text entered on the keyboard was being recorded and stored by the startup.

The app’s creator, Eitan Fitusi, told Digital Trends that far from spying on users, any collected input data is simply “statistical information” used to help power the app’s A.I. prediction engine. Fitusi added that the input data is “non-personal” so it can’t be connected to a particular user or device.

It seems that users who downloaded the freemium version of Ai.type had more data exposed than those with the paid version as the free one collects more information from devices. Also, the misconfigured database seems to have contained information linked only to Android users of the app, meaning that data belonging to the app’s iOS users is unaffected. All data has now been secured by the startup, ZDNet reported.

Ai.type users will at least be relieved to learn that no passwords or payment details were kept on the server.

Elementary error

In what appears to have been an alarmingly elementary error, the server reportedly had no password protection, opening up the data to internet users who could then browse, download, or even delete the information held on it.

Ai.type uses artificial intelligence to help users type faster and more accurately. DT listed it earlier this year as a decent virtual keyboard app for emoji fans as it lets you put the colorful characters front and center in a couple of taps.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: the upgrade we’ve been waiting for?
Thre Flip 7 models next to each other

I never really thought that I'd want to go down the route of owning a flip phone, ever since I swore off my Nokia in the early 2000s (you know, the one with the weird felt covering and tiny notification window).

Fast forward two decades, and I'm considering rejoining the race, thanks to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7. Coming in at $1,100, it's not cheap, but it's definitely something different compared to the world of black rectangles, and it it feels like Samsung’s Flip family has finally come of age.

Read more
I used the Galaxy Z Fold 7, here’s why I’m completely smitten
The back of the Galaxy Z Fold 7

We’ve waited several years for Samsung to join the party, but it’s finally here: Samsung has followed rivals like Oppo, OnePlus, and Honor in building a thinner, lighter, and sleeker Galaxy Z Fold 7. It’s an impressive feat of engineering and a major upgrade over previous years.

It’s easy to consider the Fold 7 nothing more than an update to the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but in many ways, it feels like a huge step forward, not just for Samsung but for all folding phones. I spent a few hours with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in an exclusive preview, and here’s why I absolutely love what Samsung has done this year.

Read more
I tried the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 series – they’re sleek, but with a lot to prove
Watch 8 on a wrist

Trying out the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic is a tough gig - not in terms of it being a hardship to try out two high-end models, but that it's impossible to assess them with only 30 minutes’ use.

I can easily talk about the improved design and the fit of the straps etc, but the real changes are within the health ecosystem, and they'll need sustained testing to really understand if they're any good.

Read more