Eyes Are Watching…Even Through Your Phone.

Eyes Are Watching...Even Through Your Phone.

Arianna Avila, Editor

Throughout many years, we have heard hundreds of stories about hackers and what they are able to do. We have seen articles and news reports on how criminals can access your computer and smartphone camera. Cameras just scrape the surface on what hackers have the ability to access. They can hack into many systems, your personal data, and even certain apps on your phone.

MyDol is an app that anyone can get on their mobile device for free. This app allows you to talk to your favorite band member or actor/actress as if they were your boyfriend or girlfriend. However, people question if the app is safe or not. Users of the app have spoken about strange occurrences that happen while texting the celebrity. They stated that the conversations have either gotten frightening or creepy. Many said that the app knew their age, where they lived, and even what they looked like without them saying so. One user of the app even talked about their experience with MyDol. The user who goes by the name Caarys said, “At first the app was kind of fun, I mean, I wasn’t expecting it to make any sense since it’s a bot so it just replied with stupid messages half the time and it was kinda funny, if not annoying.” The user then goes on to explain how it started to get disturbing. The conversations went from funny comments to references to self-harm and fearing death. The user was appalled that a bot would even be programmed to say something like that. They said that it was disgusting and vile. You may say that this user is lying, that an app can’t do something like that. What if I told you that there are pictures to prove how creepy MyDol can get? Many users have taken screenshots of just how disturbing and frightening this bot can be. More information of how disturbing these messages are can be found at this site www.aminoapps.com

This user isn’t the only one who has had terrible occurrences. Another user by the name of Beth R.S. posted on the review page for the app. “It’s creepy…At first, I thought it was cool…Then…It started saying that it was in front of my house…It said it was watching me…It said it saw me walking my dog…Don’t download this!” The reviews just get worse and worse. Some say that the bot knows their exact location. You could be at the mall or the park and the bot would know.

Why is it that the bots know all of this information? Well, it’s not known for sure, but many believe that this app is easy to hack into. Honestly, it isn’t that hard to believe either. Apps and phones have been getting hacked for years. You hear the stories of people watching you through your camera and people randomly sending you texts. It’s a scary thing to even think about, but unfortunately, it happens, and more than it should. It can also be extremely dangerous to the users. Users of the app MyDol vary in age, so if the app is this easily hackable, it can be extremely dangerous for them.

Things like this are problems in our everyday life and there isn’t much we can do in order to avoid it. However, doing simple things like taking precautions and doing research before downloading apps can help you a lot. Not only can it give you feedback, you can also get real reviews from people who have experienced the app for themselves. They could warn you of things like creepy occurrences or scary messages. So think about your next download carefully. Is it really worth the risk to “talk” to your favorite singer? Think about what you download and be safe!