The ToTok app, which is especially prevalent in the United Arab Emirates, turns out to be a spy tool for the intelligence services of that country. In this way, citizens are eavesdropped and localised.
The app has been downloaded millions of times and is especially popular in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the surrounding countries. In the country itself, services such as WhatsApp and Skype are partially blocked, but ToTok itself is not.
The revelation was made by the New York Times that relies on secret documents from employees of the US intelligence service and its own analyses. The newspaper writes that ToTok is used by the UAE to spy on its citizens.
The owner of ToTok is Breej Holding, but according to the newspaper that is a facade for cybersecurity company DarkMatter.
The app would also have connections with Pax AI, a data mining company from the United Arab Emirates that has its offices in the same location as the country’s intelligence service.
The companies involved do not comment on the New York Times. In the meantime, Google and Apple have removed the app from the Play Store and App Store.
