Google takes down the alleged spying ToTok app from the Play Store

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Back in December of 2019, we reported on an expose published by The New York Times claiming that ToTok is a spying tool developed by the UAE government. Soon after the report was published, Google and Apple pulled the app from their respective stores. Google later reinstated the app in January but the company has decided to remove the app again from the Play Store.

Earlier today, 9to5Google reported about Google’s decision to take down the app from the Google Play Store. Google confirmed the company’s decision to remove the app but has declined to give the reason for the removal (via The Verge). ToTok app has been popular in the Middle East, especially in UAE. The UAE government doesn’t allow VoIP calls via apps like WhatsApp and Skype which made ToTok extremely popular in the region.

ToTok released a statement back in December defending their actions and denying the spying allegations. The company said, “[n]ot only do we respect privacy and ensure security, our users also have the complete control over what data they want to share at their own discretion.”

More about the topics: google, totok