“Serious dangers to online privacy and security”. In the space of two months, Ten Ten has become the new fashion phenomenon among young people. This application, available free of charge on smartphones, was launched on April 4 and has exceeded one million downloads on the Google Store. Sold as an application that “turn your phone into a walkie-talkie with your best friends anywhere anytime“, however, it presents some risks, according to the spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior.
“Behind the fun, there are serious dangers for privacy and online security,” warns spokesperson Camille Chaize on X (ex-Twitter). Just like TikTok, Ten Ten collects a lot of personal data such as the users’ name, their telephone number but also more sensitive data such as their IP address or their location. “So much information that can leakand can subsequently be cross-referenced”, continues Camille Chaize.
On its site, the application promises to never sell user data, but “we can share or transfer your information in connection with or during negotiations of any mergersale of company assets, financing or acquisition of all or part of our business to another company,” the company warns.
Beyond this risk for user data, the application also presents a danger to privacy. “Even when the screen is locked, contacts can send instant messages. This increases the risk of online harassment and invasion of privacy“, warns the Interior spokesperson.
She asks parents to turn off their children’s notifications at night but also in quiet places, like school. Several teachers were forced to confiscate phones because of the application which interfered with the holding of classes. “It lasted two days and the students themselves deleted the Ten Ten application which led directly to the confiscation of the cell phone,” a middle school teacher in the Paris suburbs told AFP.
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