Privacy and security lessons in Clubhouse, NurseryCam data leaks

The app has been banned in China, which doesn't like the concept of private conversations. But ironically, Clubhouse processes global data in Chinese servers, which raises some more concerns.

Audio-conferencing app Clubhouse has taken the Apple universe by storm, with millions of downloads in 2021. iPhone users can chat live in Clubhouse “rooms”. When a sess­ion ends, it is deleted. Users rave about excellent technical quality but Clubhouse has some problems. Moderation is up to users; there’s no “block” option to stop trolls, and no way to report abuse.

There may also be security and surveillance issues. A user recently recorded feed from many rooms (including closed rooms, which nobody should be able to enter without invites) and streamed chats. This may be embarrassing, given that chats are supposedly