UAE app Totok, a spying tool: Report

A popular mobile application developed in the United Arab Emirates has been removed from both Apple and Google’s online marketplaces following a report it was used for widespread government spying.

The moves come after The New York Times reported Saturday the app ToTok allowed the UAE government to track the conversations, movements, and other details of people who installed it on their phone.

Apple told AFP that ToTok was removed from its App Store pending a review, while Google said it was taken down from the Play Store “for a policy issue.”

The Times reported that ToTok, used by millions in the UAE and the surrounding region, had been designed to look like an easy and secure way to send messages and videos in countries where other services are banned.