Google and Apple have booted messaging app ToTok which was downloaded millions of times and reportedly a UAE spy tool

Screenshot/Huawei

An ad for ToTok on Huawei's app gallery.

• In a bombshell report the New York Times revealed ToTok, a new and popular messaging app, is actually a tool for the United Arab Emirates government to spy on users.
• After being alerted by the Times, Google and Apple have both kicked the app off their app stores.
• Google said ToTok had violated its policies, while Apple says it is still investigating the app.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Google and Apple have booted a popular messaging app off their app storefronts after a New York Times report revealed it is suspected of being a spying tool deployed by the government of the United Arab Emirates.

The app is called ToTok, and has been the subject of both a New York Times investigation and a classified intelligence assessment by US officials. The Times' own technical analysis suggested the app was used for mass surveillance.

According to the Times ToTok is only a few months old, but in that time garnered millions of downloads across Google Play and Apple's App Store. Last week ToTok shot up the app leaderboards in the US to become one of the most downloaded messaging apps, according to analytics site App Annie.

The majority of the users were in the UAE, where services like Skype and WhatsApp are prohibited. ToTok was also given a boost by Chinese smartphone giant Huawei, which endorsed the app.

But the app is, according to the Times, used to monitor conversations, movements and even relationships of those who use it.

The Times found ToTok had close ties to an Abu Dhabi-based hacking company called DarkMatter, which is currently under investigation by the FBI according to the Times.

After the Times contacted Google and Apple, both companies removed the app from their stores. Google said ToTok had violated its policies, but was unclear on detail. Apple said it was still looking into the app.

Google and Apple were not immediately available for comment when contacted by Business Insider.

You can read the full New York Times report here.

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