On Christmas Eve we reported that popular messaging client ToTok had been removed from the Google Play Store after some serious accusations of spying on users. Today it has been restored to the Play Store after an update which we assume fixes the issues.
After a report from the New York Times claiming that ToTok was spyware backed by the UAE government and associated with a cyber-intelligence and hacking agency. At this stage it is unclear, but we assume so, that the allegations have been addressed not just by the company but also the developers in the offending code — if there was any.
The new version of the app appears to have been updated on January 4 so we assume that the app is no longer spying on you, assuming it did, but until we hear an official word from either the company or Google, well, especially Google it is still all just speculation. ToTok have said nothing more about the return other than:
Dear ToTok Community,
The wait is over. We are happy to inform you that #ToTok is now available for download on the Google Play Store. Thank you for your patience. Let’s connect!
We assume that permissions and access have been fixed but as always, and with any and every app, we recommend using all precautions before giving the app access to all permissions it asks for.
ToTok may look like a fun app but if you are not wedded to it there are so many other offerings available, with most a lot more secure than this one (and with a less nefarious background).
