Digital Devices That Spy
Apps and smart devices are being used to spy on users all over the world. Contact Alvarez Technology Group today to find out how we can help you safeguard your company’s sensitive data.
“The reason apps like this exist is that in these regions of the world they block traditional social media apps like Facebook, What’s App and Skype,” according to Alvarez Technology Group CEO Luis Alvarez. Here the entire interview here.
Who Has Exposed the App as Spyware?
American officials and a New York Times article exposed the app as little more than spyware. Its critics claim that the UAE government tracks every movement, conversation, appointment, relationship, image and sound that passes over smart devices that install ToTok.
According to the New York Times, “ToTok amounts to the latest escalation in a digital arms race among wealthy authoritarian governments, interviews with current and former American foreign officials and a forensic investigation showed. The governments are pursuing more effective and convenient methods to spy on foreign adversaries, criminal and terrorist networks, journalists and critics efforts that have ensnared people all over the world in their surveillance nets.”
Who Uses ToTok?
Millions of users downloaded the app from Google and Apple stores. However, Apple and Microsoft removed the app from their store in December 2019. Current users include those in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Most users live in the Emirates, where it’s considered a workaround from government censorship.
What Other Digital Devices Can Be Used to Spy on You?
Headlines abound with devices, such as smart TVs, that track your behavior. Hackers have even taken advantage of weak passwords to access security cameras to spy on kids in their bedrooms. Before you buy a smart device, be sure that you understand how to change the default passwords and read up on online reviews concerning the device’s reputation for privacy and ads.
What Other Governments Spy on Citizens?
The Great Firewall of China is the euphemistic name used to refer to the country’s internal internet, which carefully blocks and monitors what information users have access to. Russia is reportedly trying to create a similar firewall to control what its people see.
Alvarez believes that the tension between the need for digital communication and other tools and the need to protect people’s privacy will grow and become a topic of conversation in the upcoming year. Alvarez Technology Group is a leading IT consulting company in Salinas, CA. Contact us today to find out how we can help you safeguard the security of sensitive data and the privacy of your customers and employees.
