Houseparty’s makers have denied claims circulating on social media that the video messaging app has led to other online accounts being compromised.
The platform has risen to prominence during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing people in locked-down countries such as the UK to catch up with friends and family from afar.
However, numerous posts appeared on social networks from users alleging that the app has resulted in their other online accounts – including Netflix, eBay, Instagram and Spotify – being hacked.
When signing up to Houseparty, users are able identify friends using phone’s contacts, as well as connect to Facebook and Snapchat to find and invite people on the platform.
Houseparty put out a tweet to users saying all accounts are safe and that it does not collect passwords for other sites.
All Houseparty accounts are safe – the service is secure, has never been compromised, and doesn’t collect passwords for other sites.
— Houseparty (@houseparty) March 30, 2020
In a statement, the service said it has found “no evidence” of such a breach.
“We’ve found no evidence to suggest a link between Houseparty and the compromises of other unrelated accounts,” a spokeswoman said.
“As a general rule, we suggest all users choose strong passwords when creating online accounts on any platform.
“Use a unique password for each account, and use a password generator or password manager to keep track of passwords, rather than using passwords that are short and simple.”
Houseparty is owned by Epic Games, the company behind popular battle royale game Fortnite.
