UAE government-linked spy app ToTok tells users to just ignore Google's warnings

ToTok boomed in popularity in the United Arab Emirates - after the government had banned all other messaging apps

ToTok, the video chat app pulled from both Android's Play and Apple's App Store over claims that it is a front for authorities in the United Arab Emirates, where it is the only app that isn't banned, has told users to ignore security warnings from Google.

While both Apple and Google removed the app when the revelations surfaced at the end of December, Google subsequently relented and let the app back into the Play Store - before removing it, again, last week.

We invite you to ignore the Google notification and continue to enjoy ToTok, which is entirely safe and secure

Users that already have it installed are now being warned by Google, via a pop-up box on their smartphone or tablet, that the app could be spying on them. "Play Protect warning: This app tries to spy on your personal data, such as SMS messages, photos, audio recordings, or call history," the warning states. It also provides the choice to uninstall the app, there and then.

The app, the New York Times has claimed, is a customised copy of Chinese messaging app YeeCall.

Now, the company behind the app, which boomed in popularity in the UAE after the ban, has old users to simply ignore the warning.

In a tweet, the company urged users to "continue to enjoy ToTok".

It said: We have been informed that some of our Android users are being solicited by Google to delete ToTok from their phones. We invite you to ignore the Google notification and continue to enjoy ToTok, which is entirely safe and secure. This is an automated response notification when Google temporarily removes an app from their store. We are working collaboratively to rectify perceived technical deficiencies and hope to have the app reinstated shortly.

"Having always been driven by ethical principles of honesty, transparency and fairness, we will continue to serve you and keep developing even better products and services."

While that tweet, along with the corporate account it was sent from, has disappeared, the company also published an open letter to users arguing that there was "no legitimate reason" for the new ban by Google.

It went on to complain that the bans by Apple and Google "in the absence of any evidence" was unfair and that the company remained "resolute in our innocence".

It continued: "We have always been committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of our users by aligning our app to industry best practices (private CA [certificate authority] system; all data is strongly encrypted by AES256; all transmission channel is well protected by RSA2048; call data is double encrypted by private protocol beyond the encryption channel) and complying with local and international applicable laws."

Security commentator Graham Cluley suggested that it would be wise for users to uninstall the app, especially if (unlike users in the UAE) they have other choices. "If Google says the app is spying on users, it's a brave person who ignores the warning and carries on using it regardless," he wrote in a blog posting.

While banned from Apple's and Google's app stores, ToTok nevertheless remains available in the app stores of Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo.