<s>
ToTok	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Giacomo	O
Ziani	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Timess	O
reporting	O
,	O
denied	O
by	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
developers	O
,	O
caused	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
Apple	O
to	O
remove	O
the	O
app	O
in	O
December	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ToTok	B-Protocol
app	O
offers	O
free	O
messaging	O
,	O
voice	O
calls	O
and	O
video	O
calls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
,	O
the	O
app	O
appears	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
slightly-customized	O
copy	O
of	O
YeeCall	O
,	O
a	O
Chinese	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
spread	O
was	O
aided	O
by	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
Emirati	O
government	O
blocks	O
certain	O
functions	O
of	O
other	O
messaging	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Skype	B-Application
and	O
WhatsApp	B-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
apparently	O
the	O
first	O
Voice	B-Application
over	I-Application
IP	I-Application
app	O
to	O
gain	O
regulatory	O
approval	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
ToTok	B-Protocol
appeared	O
to	O
not	O
be	O
affiliated	O
with	O
a	O
powerful	O
country	O
may	O
also	O
have	O
helped	O
its	O
popularity	O
in	O
the	O
Middle	O
East	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
BotIM	O
,	O
a	O
subscription-based	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
,	O
sent	O
its	O
users	O
a	O
message	O
recommending	O
ToTok	B-Protocol
for	O
free	O
messaging	O
and	O
calls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
ToTok	B-Protocol
was	O
among	O
the	O
most-used	O
50	O
free	O
apps	O
in	O
several	O
countries	O
including	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
India	O
and	O
Sweden	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
the	O
app	O
had	O
7.9	O
million	O
downloads	O
between	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
and	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
,	O
with	O
nearly	O
two	O
million	O
daily	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
22	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
reported	O
that	O
U.S.	O
intelligence	O
assessments	O
and	O
the	O
paper	O
's	O
own	O
investigations	O
showed	O
that	O
ToTok	B-Protocol
was	O
used	O
by	O
Emirati	O
intelligence	O
to	O
gather	O
all	O
conversations	O
,	O
movements	O
,	O
relationships	O
,	O
appointments	O
,	O
sounds	O
and	O
images	O
by	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
Times	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
behind	O
ToTok	B-Protocol
,	O
Breej	O
Holding	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
front	O
company	O
of	O
DarkMatter	O
,	O
an	O
Emirati	O
intelligence	O
company	O
under	O
FBI	O
investigation	O
for	O
cybercrimes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Times	O
also	O
linked	O
ToTok	B-Protocol
to	O
Pax	O
AI	O
,	O
an	O
Emirati	O
data	O
mining	O
firm	O
tied	O
to	O
DarkMatter	O
and	O
located	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
building	O
as	O
the	O
Emirates	O
 '	O
Signals	O
Intelligence	O
Agency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
local	O
Khaleej	O
Times	O
interviewed	O
the	O
"	O
ToTok	B-Protocol
co-founder	O
"	O
Giacomo	O
Ziani	O
,	O
who	O
confirmed	O
that	O
he	O
bought	O
YeeCall	O
's	O
code	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
denied	O
that	O
his	O
app	O
was	O
a	O
government	O
surveillance	O
tool	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
Timess	O
inquiries	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
Apple	O
removed	O
ToTok	B-Protocol
from	O
their	O
respective	O
app	B-Application
stores	I-Application
on	O
19	O
and	O
20	O
December	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
re-appeared	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
on	O
3	O
January	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
disappeared	O
again	O
on	O
15	O
February	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
