ToTok (app)
| Developer(s) | Breej Holding |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 2019 |
| Engine | |
| Operating system | iOS, Android |
| Type | Communication |
| Website | totok |
Search ToTok (app) on Amazon.
ToTok is an Emirati messaging app, and, according to The New York Times, a mass surveillance tool of the United Arab Emirates intelligence services.
Features and development
The ToTok app offers free messaging, voice calls and video calls. Conference calls involving up to 20 people can also be made.[1] According to the New York Times, the app appears to be a slightly-customized copy of YeeCall, a Chinese messaging app.[2]
Popularity
Introduced in 2019, the app was promoted by state-linked Emirati publications and soon found a wide user base in the Emirates.[2] Its spread was aided by the fact that the Emirati government blocks certain functions of other messaging services such as Skype and WhatsApp.[2] In December 2019, BotIM, a subscription-based messaging app, sent its users a message recommending ToTok for free messaging and calls.[1] That ToTok appeared to not be affiliated with a powerful country may also have helped its popularity in the Middle East.[2]
In December 2019, ToTok was among the most-used 50 free apps in several countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, India and Sweden.[2] As of December 2019[update], the app had 7.9 million downloads between the iOS App Store and Google Play, with nearly two million daily users.[3]
Surveillance tool reports
On 22 December 2019, The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence assessments and the paper's own investigations showed that ToTok was used by Emirati intelligence to gather all conversations, movements, relationships, appointments, sounds and images by the app's users.[2] The app does not use exploits, nor does it contain any backdoors or malware. Instead, the app gives the government access to personal information simply by being a communication app and users unknowingly giving permission in order to enable features.[4]
According to the Times, the company behind ToTok, Breej Holding, is a front company of DarkMatter, an Emirati intelligence company under FBI investigation for cybercrimes.[2] The Times also linked ToTok to Pax AI, an Emirati data mining firm tied to DarkMatter and located in the same building as the Emirates' Signals Intelligence Agency.[2]
In response to the Times’s inquiries, Google and Apple removed ToTok from their respective app stores on 19 and 20 December.[2][5][6] ToTok attributed these removals to a "technical issue", but did not comment on the Times report.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ahmed, Ashfaq (15 December 2019). "People in UAE unsubscribe to paid calling apps and start using free internet calling service". gulfnews.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Mazzetti, Mark; Perlroth, Nicole; Bergman, Ronen (22 December 2019). "It Seemed Like a Popular Chat App. It's Secretly a Spy Tool". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ↑ Koetsier, John (23 December 2019). "Top-50 Social App ToTok Outed As Spying Tool For United Arab Emirates; Apple And Google Delete It". Forbes. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Popular chat app ToTok is actually a spying tool of UAE government – report". The Guardian. 23 December 2019. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Gokulan, Dhanusha (23 December 2019). "ToTok no longer available in UAE, residents disappointed". Khaleej Times. Dubai, UAE. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ↑ "Google and Apple remove alleged UAE spy app ToTok". BBC News. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ↑ Matyus, Allison (23 December 2019). "Investigation claims that United Arab Emirates uses the ToTok app to spy". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
Further reading
- Wardle, Patrick (20 December 2019). "Mass Surveillance, is an (un)Complicated Business". objective-see.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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