Apple Pulls Emirati Chat App 'ToTok' From App Store for Allegedly Spying on Users

Apple has removed messaging app "ToTok" from the App Store after an investigation by the New York Times concluded that the app was actually a spying tool being used by the United Arab Emirates government to mass surveil its citizens.

appStore
According to the report, which cites U.S. officials familiar with a classified intelligence assessment, the app was being used to mine data from users' contact lists and track locations by offering a localized weather forecast.

ToTok's privacy policy notes that it "may share your personal data with group companies," but it turns out that the app is linked to Abu Dhabi-based cybersecurity firm DarkMatter, which is under investigation by the FBI for possible cybercrimes. A U.S. intelligence assessment also linked ToTok to Pax AI, an Abu Dhabi-based data mining firm.

In the time that it was available on the ‌App Store‌ and the Google Play store, the app was downloaded by millions of users in the Middle East, North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The app was particularly popular in the UAE, where other messaging apps like WhatsApp and Skype are partially blocked. Users who installed the app on their devices are being advised to remove it, as any surveillance capacity could still potentially operate unhindered.

The UAE has reportedly been using surveillance technology to crack down on internal dissent in the country, including hacking Western journalists and holding human rights activists in solitary confinement over Facebook posts.

It's not the first time we've heard reports that apparently legitimate apps are being used as fronts for governments to spy on their citizens. An October report from the Open Technology Fund (OTF), an initiative funded by the U.S. government, revealed that an "educational" app teaching the Chinese Communist Party's policies includes code that amounts to a backdoor into users' Android devices.

A separate report elaborating on the findings said that the app, known as "Study Xi, Strong Nation," essentially gives the Chinese government the capacity to determine "the location of every citizen at any single point in time."

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases Firmware Updates for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday November 11, 2024 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models (version number 7B20) and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases (version number 7B21). All of these AirPods models were previously on firmware version 7B19. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21, but we will update this story if we find...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 Camera Modules to Enter Mass Production Next Month

Tuesday November 12, 2024 2:56 am PST by
Apple's camera module supplier for the upcoming iPhone SE 4 is set to begin mass production of the components in December, according to a new report coming out of Korea. Economic newspaper Ajunews reports that LG Innotek will supply the front camera module for the budget-friendly fourth-generation device. Final tests are now said to be underway, with mass production of the module following...
iphone 6 thickness

iPhone 17 'Air' May Not Be Much Thinner Than iPhone 6

Monday November 11, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 17 "Air" model may not be as thin as Apple planned, according to a rumor originating in Korea. According to the news aggregator account "yeux1122" on Naver, citing industry sources, Apple has run into problems making the new iPhone 17 model sufficiently thin. The device's reduced thickness is apparently dependent on manufacturing a battery with a thinner substrate, but...
new mac holiday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Monday November 11, 2024 7:45 am PST by
Black Friday is getting closer, and prices on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac mini computers have started to drop as the shopping holiday nears. These deals include the latest models of the M4 MacBook Pro and iMac. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site...
iOS 18

Here's Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 3

Monday November 11, 2024 4:53 pm PST by
Apple seeded the third betas of iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 to developers for testing today. While the third betas of each update are minor relative to the first two betas, there are still a handful of changes across the Photos app, TV app, and more. A corresponding iOS 18.2 public beta with these changes will likely be released later this week, and Apple previously confirmed that the software...
General Final Cut Pro Feature

Apple Likely to Announce Final Cut Pro Update This Week With These New Features

Sunday November 10, 2024 12:13 pm PST by
In its announcement video for the new Mac mini last month, Apple teased an "upcoming" version of Final Cut Pro for the Mac. Apple will likely announce the update during the annual Final Cut Pro Creative Summit, which begins this Wednesday. The conference is held in association with Apple, and attendees will be visiting Apple Park on the first day. Apple already teased four new features...
iPad iOS 16 WP Display Feature eric edit

Apple to Launch AI-Powered Home 'Command Center' as Soon as March 2025

Tuesday November 12, 2024 1:09 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch an AI-powered smart home display as soon as March 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The display will measure in at approximately six inches, and while it is similar to an iPad, it is square rather than rectangular and it has thick bezels around the edges. There is a camera at the top front so that it can be used for FaceTime, plus there are internal speakers...

Top Rated Comments

JosephAW Avatar
64 months ago
Yet FB Messenger still remains in the App Store?
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MvdM Avatar
64 months ago
Why are Facebook and WhatsApp still in the store? Double standards.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DoctorTech Avatar
64 months ago
This is one of the reasons I mainly stick to Apple’s native apps for the majority of my needs. I do use some 3rd party apps for special purposes (business, cycling and special interests) but I regularly review and limit what apps have access to various phone features such as location, contacts, and cameras & microphone.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
infiniteentropy Avatar
64 months ago
Apple: selectively caring about human rights since Tim Cook took over!

WeChat persists. Nothing more needs to be said.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
meaning-matters Avatar
64 months ago
This app that lets Saudi Arabian men track their wives is still there: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/أبشر/id1004966456

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6686877/Women-tracking-app-lets-Saudi-Arabian-men-monitor-wives.html
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
foobarbaz Avatar
64 months ago

This app that lets Saudi Arabian men track their wives is still there: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/أبشر/id1004966456

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6686877/Women-tracking-app-lets-Saudi-Arabian-men-monitor-wives.html
Gotta love the glowing reviews there …


What is an amazing App!

I write this review for those who know nothing about one of our most efficient eGov platforms that has been called “Absher”, which means “at your service”. Simply this app makes our life very convenient; it saves us time, effort, money and much more than that. No body outside Saudi Arabia could imaging where were we before Absher! Since it was launched 11 years ago, Absher has been greatly contributing to the quality of our lives. Yes, it improved it big time. Moreover, it has supported and enhanced both security and efficiency of other eGov services. I know that many countries on the G20 list are still far away from reaching what Absher has brought to us. There are more than 25 eService on Absher that any good citizen of a country would be thrilled and delighted to have access to within his/er country. We are grateful and thankful to the great men and women behind Absher platform. My parent’s generation, my generation and next generations can’t/won’t thank you enough for your outstanding achievements. All the best!
The exact same glowing review was posted twice by different users. What a coincidence …
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)