Talking Angela: Hoax or no Hoax?

[The Odyssey]

Don't know if you've heard of the latest hoax, but apparently there's a new app, where you talk to a white fluffy cat. Sounds harmless, right? What if I told you that a pedophile is behind this game and asks children where they live and what they're wearing?

 

Okay, I'm not sure if it's true but it sounds rather convincing if you ask me. I won't buy into it, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was some disturbing sh*t behind this.

 

Full article: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/530097-talking-angela-app-viral-hoax-rumors-still-going-strong-about-game/

 

Thoughts?

[na89340qv0n34b09q340]

My little sister has a lot of "Talking (insert animal, optionally anthropomorphize it)" games. Sometimes they come riddled with adware, and I think that's the only conspiracy to games like that. Same with dress-up flash games online, they look like they're mostly there to get kids who are ignorant about how mommy's computer gets sick to allow a program access to the computer/phone.

 

Besides, the app has 100,000+ downloads, and that's a lot of video and audio to sift through just to find out where some kids live.

[sivispacem]

It's a complete hoax. A really, really obvious one too.

 

http://grahamcluley.com/2014/02/eli-moreno-abducted-talking-angela/

[Rainbow Party]

You are right about those dress up online games. I had to log in to my friend's Stardoll account when she was in holidays (lol yeah she's an adult too) and it's filled with external scam ads and malware download links that are directly authorized by the website as a way to earn points. Besides the fact that interacting with anonymous people on the internet is very dangerous for kids, even if the site asks you to be 13 and up.

 

About Talking Angela, I don't have any of those apps. I always thought the animals looked REALLY creepy and it's for little kids so I wouldn't care. Now with the hoax rumors I read a little about it and it turns out it's an app where you can actually talk to the AI, right? That's interesting at least from the programming point of view. Someone told me the thing asks you your name and where you live and stuff. Considering all phones are nowadays connected to the internet 24/7 I think that's really weird and I can see why it's scary. And the fact that a lot of websites simply say "So don't be stupid, the rumors are clearly a hoax made by someone who hates the app. Parents should know that it's perfectly safe." Yeah right... that doesn't explain anything. Does the app really ask you for your name and school?
Sorry that I'm not particularly answering this thread cause I don't know much about the app but I'm certainly interested in finding out what the real deal is with it

Edited February 26, 2014 by Rainbow Party

[Mr. House]

If parents are worried about this then why don't they check out the f*cking app instead of letting their kids use it with no attention taken to it then make serious accusations towards the creators of a product. Hoax or not, it is f*cked up to make such accusations to a company or an app creator, that sh*t can destroy their life even if they're innocent.

[Rainbow Party]

I've been told by people who are in the mobile app business that it's a really ruthless market. Everyone does whatever it takes to ruin the other app's sales. People are hired to upvote and downvote apps, make fake reviews, etc. This accusation is very likely to be the typical kind of hoax considering it's one of the top selling apps. It does seem legit at first glance though, at least for someone like me who has never used the app, so if it's a hoax it's working with me

On a side note, I find everything related to technology, the internet and little kids all together, to be very disturbing.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Rainbow Party

[t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m]

If parents are worried about this then why don't they check out the f*cking app instead of letting their kids use it with no attention taken to it then make serious accusations towards the creators of a product. Hoax or not, it is f*cked up to make such accusations to a company or an app creator, that sh*t can destroy their life even if they're innocent.

Most parents are too stupid to know how that stuff works. They just do whatever is convinient and makes their child shut up.

[RoadRunner71]

Why would a kid have any kind of tablet or smartphone which could hold that app... Hell, back in the day I use to play with toys and my friends, I could use my imagination instead of being stuck to some stupid machine...

[Voodoo]

 

Fingers crossed!

[Moonshield]

Fearmongering horse sh*t. Parents should put parental locks on the phones if you're going to give your young children so nobody else is "held accountable" for their kids - because they're their f*cking kids.