ToTok founder explains why app was allowed in UAE
Terming the recent developments and malicious charges of spying as a "conspiracy", ToTok co-founder Giacomo Ziani said the free, secure calling and messaging app will be back in the market "as soon as possible and hopefully in the next few days".
In an interview with Khaleej Times, he assured users that ToTok is safe and treatment of personal data fully compliant with the local and international norms, as independently confirmed by the recent TRA statement.
Ziani clarified that ToTok isn't a copy of the Chinese app YeeCall and elaborated on how the company was allowed to operate in the UAE as a pilot project, which had met all regulatory requirements. In an act of transparency, the cofounders have welcomed Apple and Google to visit ToTok office to address problems and reinstate the app on their stores.
Give us a brief history about ToTok. Where is the company based out of?
It all started with my cofounder Long Ruan, recognising a business opportunity to create a new consumer digital platform in the Mena region. Long has a successful record in building and commercialising mobile apps.
During his last venture running a communication app called YeeCall in China, Long saw the untapped demand for mobile services by Mena users. While visiting the UAE, Long met me (then a business development professional).
I've been working in the country for three years, with previous experience in numerous digital startups in Italy. As we joined forces, our objective was 'speed to market'. We took advantage of the excellent startup incentives in Abu Dhabi, and engaged two private local investors who believed in our potential. During our incubation, we used the Apple developer account under Breej Holding Limited, registered in the ADGM Free Zone of Abu Dhabi. We worked for months round-the-clock to develop the public version of ToTok.
We officially launched ToTok in August 2019, when our ToTok company was set up in the ADGM Free Zone. In less than two months, we celebrated two million user downloads. Since then, the app continues to grow fast, in the UAE and worldwide - thanks to its ease of use and unlimited communication capability.
Why did you find the need to launch a free calling app and how is it different from the several others available? We were attracted by the high-growth potential to build a vibrant digital ecosystem in the Mena region.
Unlike in the western countries, where the Facebook ecosystem of apps (Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram) is pervasive, or in China, which is dominated by the WeChat superapp, we saw here an opportunity to develop our product and penetrate a growing market at a faster rate.
We differ from other apps for our superior product features that our users love, such as excellent audio/video quality and the rich community functionality like group calling for up to 20 people, and group chatting for up to 10,000 people and many others. It is not us bragging. Over 30,000 positive users reviews on Google and Apple stores are our proof.
The app was an instant hit among users in the GCC region, particularly the UAE. What do you think were the reasons for this?
We have built a fantastic product that people love. And of course, it is free.