Today, Google removed an Android app from the Play Store that was created by Iranian officials to test and keep track of coronavirus infections amid spying allegations. Several users accused the Iranian government of using the epidemic to scare and trick citizens into installing the app, subsequently collecting phone numbers and geo-location data. Before its removal, these allegations came to light, resulting in its removal from the Play Store.
An Android malware researcher at ESET, Lukas Stefanko, reviewed the app to malicious behavior. Stefanko later confirmed that after analyzing the app’s APK, it does not contain spyware or a malicious Trojan. However, those familiar with the situation stated that the app contained misleading claims such as that it could detect COVID-19 infections, which is impossible through an app and must rather be confirmed as infected through an analysis of a throat swab.
Read More: Spying concerns raised over Iran’s official COVID-19 detection app
