Credit: The New York Times
ToTok has been outed a spying tool for the UAE government.
According to a report from The New York Times, ToTok, a popular chat app in the United Arabian Emirates, is actually a tool used by the country’s government to spy on its citizens and their conversations.
In the UAE, apps like Skype and WhatsApp are restricted in their use due to their western origins. ToTok launched earlier in the year with promises of messaging and chatting on par with the western apps, and in response, it received millions of downloads by UAE citizens. However, according to classified US intelligence briefings, as well as some digging on the Times‘ part, any messages, photos, or information shared on ToTok are also received by UAE intelligence agents.
There have been instances of governments hacking their citizens in the past, but according to security researcher Patrick Wardle, this actually isn’t an example of hacking. There are no backdoors of any kind in ToTok, it’s simply owned by the UAE government. Its servers send data directly to their intelligence department. “You don’t need to hack people to spy on them if you can get people to willingly download this app to their phone. By uploading contacts, video chats, location, what more intelligence do you need?” Wardle said.
ToTok has been delisted from both the Apple Store and Google Play Store. The UAE government has not responded to the Times‘ requests for comment.
