INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightToTokImage caption
The ToTok app has been removed from Apple and Google's app stores
Google and Apple have removed an Emirati messaging app called ToTok amid claims that it is used for state spying
Not to be confused with China's TikTok, ToTok markets itself as an easy and secure way to chat by video or text
However, The New York Times (NYT) has reported allegations that the WhatsApp-lookalike is a spy tool for the United Arab Emirates government
ToTok has told users that it will be back in the app stores soon
In a blog, it wrote that it is "temporarily unavailable" on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store because of a "technical issue"
Citing American officials as sources, the NYT reported that ToTok gives UAE spies access to citizen's conversations, movements, and other
personal information like photos
Google removed the app last Thursday and Apple pulled it the following day
However, ToTok users, who already have the app on their phone, can carry on using it
Millions of usersToTok is only several months old but it has been downloaded by users in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa, and North
America, according to the NYT
Google Play Store showed that it had five million Android downloads alone before it was removed, while app-tracker App Annie said that ToTok
was one of the most downloaded social apps in the US last week
The NYT reports that the app's publisher, Breej Holding Ltd, is affiliated with DarkMatter, which is an Abu Dhabi-based intelligence and
hacking firm that is allegedly under investigation by the FBI for possible cyber-crimes
DarkMatter employs Emirati intelligence officials, former National Security Agency employees and former Israeli military intelligence
operatives, according to the NYT
ToTok, DarkMatter, and the Embassy of United Arab Emirates in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment
"While the existing ToTok users continue to enjoy our service without interruption, we would like to inform our new users that we are well
engaged with Google and Apple to address the issue," ToTok said in a blog.It pointed out that new users with Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi and
Oppo phones could still download ToTok on the phone maker's own app stores
The company promised to be back "in the near future" with new features such as payment, news, commerce, and entertainment
Other messaging services like WhatsApp and Skype, which offer end-to-end encryption, are restricted in the UAE
While they can be used for messaging, they can't be used for video calls
ToTok's privacy policy states that it may share people's personal data with "law enforcement, officials, regulatory agencies and other
It also states: "We may share your personal data with group companies."However, there is no specific mention of the United Arab Emirates
Decrypting the appSecurity firm Objective-See says that it worked with the NYT on the investigation
In a blog, the company explained that it performed an analysis of ToTok's iOS app on a "jailbroken" iPhone - ie one which had been altered
to bypass manufacturer restrictions
Analysts decrypted the ToTok app and the app's "network traffic".The analysts said that the legitimacy of the app is "really the genius of
the whole mass surveillance operation"
They noted that they found no backdoors, no malware, and no exploits in the app
