Sophos Cloud Optix
For the last week, the internet – and Facebook in particular – has been positively moist with the foamy, spittle flecks of an outraged, pitchfork wielding mob.
This outpouring of outrage has been so verbose and so sudden that the internet has all but run out of upper case letters.
The mob, like a million, breathless, cyber-age Paul Reveres, are warning as many people as they can.
Speed is of the essence, it seems, and in an effort to move as quickly as possible many have simply had to leave punctuation at home to save weight.
DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS APP I AM WARNING YOU DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS APP. IT IS TOTALY DANGEROUS AND DONT LISTEN TO WHAT THE MAKERS OF THE APP TELL YOU... IF U ZOOM IN HER EYES U WILL SEE A ROOM WITH A GUY IN IT, AND IT TAKES RANDOM PICTURES.... IF U WISH TO DOWNLOAD MAKE SURE U COVER UR CAMERA WITH UR FINGERS
The subject of their fury is the eponymous feline star of a smartphone app called Talking Angela. This cat, they scream, is hiding the darkest of secrets.
The limited and mildly flirtatious questions Angela asks through her chat function are not, it’s claimed, the result of furby-like artificial intelligence programmed by the app’s well established developers OutFit7, but the probing of real-life paedophiles.
And if you need extraordinary proof for such an extraordinary claim it’s no problem; you need only cast aside the laws of physics that make apps, smartphones and online reviews possible and look into her eyes because the paedophile is right there in a room. No, really.
EMERGENCY DO NOT DOWNLOAD FOR YOU SAFTY This game hacks your electronic devices cause if you look closely at the eyes of angela you see a room somebody can see you but you can't see him DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS APPLOOK AT HER EYES FOR MORE INFORMATION
Rumours of Angela’s evil side are not new, but the volume of opprobrium in the last week, like the finale of a Spinal Tap concert, has found its own ridiculous, deafening eleven.
About eight days ago we noticed that our year-old article about the Talking Angela hoax had suddenly become very, very popular indeed.
And it wasn’t just us. Google Trends shows that it was happening worldwide; searches for ‘Talking Angela’ have almost literally gone off the chart.
What on earth is happening?
I decided to take a look at the Talking Angela app, and to read the comments on our site and the Google Play Store to see if there was anything that might explain this tsunami of attention.
Here are four things I suspect helped the hoax spread.
1. Talking Angela has a Child mode
The Talking Angela app has a Child mode that can be switched on and off. The statement sent by OutFit7 to Naked Security describes Child mode as follows:
...users are given the option to play the Talking Angela app in child mode, a function specifically designed to safeguard young players. Within child mode, the chat bot feature is disabled so Angela can respond only to touch and repeat what she hears over the microphone. Child mode can be selected at any point within the app’s settings.
The character herself is a talking, animated cat in the Disney mould who is very clearly designed to appeal to young children.
There is no explicit Adult mode so just who this cartoon cat is aimed at when it’s not in Child mode is unclear. Whoever they are, they need to be able to type because the app answers to written questions.
I used Talking Angela when it’s not in Child mode and (much to the amusement of colleagues sat near me and the confusion and horror of those sat further away) have attempted to engage it with lewd (OK, filthy) conversation without luck.
Some of the questions and answers from Talking Angela are mildly flirtatious. To me they are innocuous and I wouldn’t be in the least bit concerned if my children heard them.
However this is a globally available product and OutFit7 are clearly imagining that some parents somewhere will find the conversation unsuitable for their children because their own press statement describes Child mode as a ‘safeguard’.
It’s light-years away from secret paedophiles hiding in the app but it might be the tiny pebble that caused the first ripple in the pond.
2. It’s hard to tell if you’re in Child mode
One of the screen shots below shows the app with Child mode on and one shows the app with Child mode off. Can you tell which is which?
The one on the right has Child mode on.
The easiest way that you can tell if you’re in Child mode is that there’s no chat at the bottom of the screen. The ‘Chat with me’ box only appears when Child mode is off.
So parents wishing to ‘safeguard’ their children from this cat’s far-from-shocking conversation by allowing them to only use it in Child mode will be hard pressed to say, at a glance, if it’s on.
If Child mode is important, then the app is badly in need of an obvious way for a parent to see, at a glance, whether Child mode is on or not.
3. It’s impossible to keep children in Child mode
Parents who feel that Child mode is important and want their children to stay in that mode will probably be disappointed.
Two clicks in the same place – the Ü (or smiley face) button and then the toggle that appears next to it – and the training wheels are off.
Children won’t experience any difficultly disabling Child mode. Some will do it deliberately, some accidentally, and some will just enjoy playing with buttons.
Either way it makes a mockery of the idea that it’s a safeguard – I think that if Child mode is important to you, you shouldn’t assume that your child has Talking Angela in that mode unless you’re using it with them.
All of which leads to an app with a mode that’s not harmful to, but isn’t for, children, that’s stupidly easy for children to exit and that doesn’t alert you when it’s not on.
4. Context is everything
So we’ve established that some children who are supposed to be in Child mode probably won’t be and that some parents will not like what they hear Talking Angela saying when that happens.
Consider the following sentence said by one person to another:
“You have been a naughty girl and you must be punished!”
If I tell you the two people involved are adults then it becomes a phrase loaded with innuendo.
If I tell you it’s a parent talking to a child then it has a very different, literal and unsexual meaning.
Finally, if I tell you that it’s an adult talking to the child, and the adult is a paedophile, then it takes on a very sinister tone (my skin’s crawling and it’s just a sentence written on a web page).
When kids talk about their school or stick their tongues out and tell you how pink they are, it’s perfectly innocent. Angela is a cartoon character that’s designed for children who says those same things.
However she does say them with a knowing wink and only when she isn’t in Child mode. Her context is ever so slightly ambiguous and that leaves a little more room for the listener to decide that it’s unsavoury. There is, perhaps, a whiff of the Uncanny Vallley.
Interestingly, the original Facebook warning from a year ago doesn’t make any specific accusations about paedophiles peering out from behind Angela’s eyes, it just implies, well, that something’s not right.
WARNING FOR TO ALL PARENTS WITH CHILDREN THAT HAVE ANY ELECTRONIC DEVICES , EX : IPOD,TABLETS ETC .... THERE IS A SITE CALLED TALKING ANGELA , THIS SITE ASKS KIDS QUESTIONS LIKE : THERE NAMES , WHERE THEY GO TO SCHOOL AND ALSO TAKE PICTURES OF THEIR FACES BY PUSHING A HEART ON THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER WITHOUT ANY NOTICES . PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILDREN'S IPODS AND ALL TO MAKE SURE THEY DO NOT HAVE THIS APP !!! PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS THAT HAVE KIDS !!!!
All it says is that Talking Angela asks children’s names and where they go to school, and takes photos (just like kids do with each other).
Don’t spread the hoax
There is nothing wrong with Talking Angela. Don’t spread the hoax.
It isn’t always easy to resist spreading hoaxes – they spread because on some level they are convincing (emotionally convincing, if not logically).
But we must resist spreading hoaxes because in passing on the false dangers we can end up creating real ones.
Actions have consequences, and in the case of a story like Talking Angela the reputations and livelihoods of real people with real jobs, real lives and real families are at stake.
Naked Security’s Paul Ducklin has written an excellent piece outlining three tips to avoid Facebook hoaxes that will help you to steer clear of joining the mob.
To Paul’s advice I will add my own rule of thumb: if a person is speaking to you with total certainty about a piece of technology and they CAN’T EVEN LOCATE THEIR OWN CAPS LOCK KEY, take the warning with a pinch of salt and walk away.
Never heard of Talking Angela until today.
The Game Is Very Higly Dangerous As if you look in her eyes you will see a room with a man inside and he randomly takes photos of you . I suggest turning child safety on and cover the camera with your finger .
You’re either a troll or you really believe that. I *hope* you’re a troll.
Either way you’re just creating noise and word pollution. Real people work for OurFit7 and you’re happily trashing their reputations based on what, exactly?
Meanwhile real people need protection from real paedophiles. If you want to actually help then stop spreading garbage and go and volunteer at the Internet Watch Foundation.
Please reply to this comment and substantiate any of the things you said.
Look ,i read that there was a lady who was logging off and Angela said “why are you logging off?, be careful beautiful”.
And just because you read it, it’s true?
true
Definitely true I can see it I have heaps proof
If talking angela was dangerous some one would shut down the app. I think it’s safe.
But the thing is, Apple aren’t going to take it off the app store just because of some ”rumours”. So that’s the bad thing.
Or worse yet… Maybe Apple is in on it. They are the ones spying on you…..
That’s like the truest thing I’ve ever heard! =D
That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever flipping heard! But I half believe that talking Angela isn’t safe but at the same time it’s almost impossible to hack into this app! But wither way this is and I KNOW that it’s not the reason!
I saw a man in it I asked questions like why u stalking
Talking Angela is so look real they hack into device sand kid nap you
I think anonymous is right maybe it’s apple who’s spying on you …………….hmmm……? This is probably the biggest question I have to answer
I AGREE DARLING
Or you know, It’s just the NSA.
If Apple were spying on us don’t you think that they would just take over our phones.. also android and Samsung run this app
You’re right Apple would probably want some proof rather than just rumours.
Only reason ur covering up for them is cause u get paid.
I know but the rumors are scary
NO CRAP I HAD ALL THE TALKING FRIENDS APPS….as soon as i saw the guy in her eye holding a camera i deleted all the apps
I did that to I was so scared!
i cant find anybody in her eyes. where is the man
Because there is no proof of anything like that going on. Outfit 7 is a great app developing company and they have been doing so for years with no trouble until people made up these stories. All this is doing is damaging a great company’s reputation. And on the Google Play store it tells you what it has access to and can’t get around that. Also, Apple most likely checked the physical scripting of the app to ensure that it doesn’t take pictures without permission or have living pedophiles talk to you.
Maybe it’s not outfit 7 fault maybe there was a glitch and some one got in and maybe outfit 7 isn’t making the games anymore maybe it’s someone else maybe outfit 7 were the first people to send out the hoax because they got hacked?! Something to think about
this shit is real
This is true!! It asks me my address but I heard enough it’s so dangerous please parents beware of talking Angela. Talking Angela has a man in the eye that kidnaps kids and have killed them. She ask you for your personal information. Anybody who have electrical devices don’t download that app! This is a warning that goes to all kids under 12 who have electrical devices.
There are people that are sometimes called geniuses for a reason, because they can hack almost anything, and if this “power”is in the hands of a peadeofile, then they need to be caught.
They took my child
Cool
But they took flappy bird off so why won’t they do the same to Angela
“They” didn’t “take Flappy Bird off.” The author of Flappy Bird withdrew it for his own reasons.
They didn’t take Talking Angela off because people spent money on it. Like Angela’s clothes, you can only get them by spending real money. Apple can give the money back, but loads of people spent money on it. So apple can not give everybody their money because it is going to take years!
NO ITS NOT U DOG STOP PLAYING IT U HECK
Well, if talking angela was hacked, and it is, would the people be able to take it down? No they wouldnt be able to .. my advice get some common sense and dont download it . I downloaded it and i saw that its all true.. but what others dont know is that its not just talking angela, its talking ginger too.. talking ginger wont do anything but take pics.if u look into her eyes u see a room and someone just takes pictures of u thats it .. the sad thing is that im twelve and i evidently know more than u so take my advice : DONT DOWNLOAD TALKING ANGELA or talking ginger !!!
Talking Angela is distributed via the Google Play for Android and the Apple AppStore for iOS. If either Google or Apple thought there were any grounds for stopping distribution it would be ridiculously easy.
GOOGLE APPS HAVE BEEN HACKED BEFORE IDIOT!
I didn’t say Google Apps couldn’t be hacked. I said it was easy for Google to stop the distribution of apps via Google Play if they want to.
One of my friends was tuck and the cops said that they had find a body
No. Just no. It’s a load of crap. Even if it was true, the amount of software editing it would take via hacking is monumental and easily noticable by the developers. If you are that worried, playthe game with your wifi off, that way a connection isn’t established between you and this ‘man’ so he won’t be able to take pictures. Looking at it myself I can see where the though of the ‘room’ has come from but no evidence of the man. On a final note, if it was a tool for pedophilia, surely it could br slightly more dangerous with child mode on, allowing the ‘man’ to know it’s a child for certain.
I’m so glad someone has sense, there is no “man” and the reflection in her eyes are a French street to make it realistic, not a “pedo room”. It’s just like the Slenderman rumours, and if people are stupid enough to believe it then let them get on with it.
Oh, I’m not that sure,but I think I’ve seen it on talking tom and ps talking ginger is a boy
U can’t be serious that talking ginger takes pictures thanks for telling me that u have my like destiny
Gosh who would have known that some of the talking friends games are hacked
Note to self:put blue tack on top of the the Camra (little dot on iPad or iPhone ect.)
Stop. If there was a pedophile hacking the thing, then WHY WOULD HE WANT YOU TO SEE HIM?
Look I’m 12 too, and I’m scared because I don’t know if i can take my finger off the camera but I’ve deleted the app. Can the man still see you if you’ve deleted the app? I don’t know if you know but if you do know please tell me, soon. I’m scared.
No he won’t so don’t worry
There is nothing to be afraid of
its ok as long as you didnt tell angela your info im 11
I dont understand nun of this is there really a man inside of talking angela its hard to believe I installed it bit I didnt see a thing whats going on im 15. im really creeped out right now when I first heard about it I installed but I read something about how u gotta keep ir hands on the cameras….so I did that and im still freaked out..y is talking angela so sexual…isnt. she post to be meant for kids
They would not be able to see you if you delete the app, or even close it. Unless your device is hacked, which would be fairly obvious and hard to do. He can’t take picture if your wifi is off because that will stop the connection. And by the way, How can someone assume this whole app is hacked and someone is taking pictures of you JUST because there is a window (or should I say a square shaped object that looks only slightly like a window).
No
I never saw anything in the “Talking Angela” app but I saw a room and man in “Talking Ginger”.I knew the rumors were false about the Angela app because in “Talking Ginger” I saw a completely different room.
Reflections, anyone?
It is safe and whoever does not do that is stupid.
They cannot take it off the app store because they do not know and have no proof but hundreds of children have proof
Children have “proof”. It isn’t even a room in her eyes, it’s a reflection of the French street. You can clearly see it’s a shop window.
Once something is on the Internet it can never be deleted…
This kinda, I mean really creeps me out! I am not sure if its true or false does anyone have any more info? If you do PLEASE reply I really want to know more!! Thank you :3
its so creepy the way she looks at you, right? i think its horrible and evil that some people want to prey on innocent children just expecting to have some time on the ipad
I know D: I knew it was a person talking right from the start, my four year old cousin played it, she couldn’t read it of course but I could, it asked stuff like ‘Are you drunk’ and ‘Where do you live’ and mentioned stuff about dead people. Really. I deleted it when she was out of the room later.
As you’ll realise from having read the article if your cousin was having to read what Talking Angela said then they were playing it in Adult mode (or, more specifically the app wasn’t in Child mode).
It’s a chat bot, it’s supposed to be like talking to a person.
Angela almost hacked my tablet by asking what kind of apps do I have I told her fake info like I live on China and I live on 666666 hell st and that my age was 1999)9999999999999999
It’s a chat bot, it’s indifferent to your deception. Also, why try to outwit it – you aren’t obliged to answer (nor indeed to use it or even keep it installed).
i love you Mark stockley
I never knew till my friend came to my house but to be honest I clicked the heart 4 times :*(
So thats how you take photos…luckily i never found out
Everything will be okay just don’t download talking angela when I download it i almost got hacked i just delete it quicky
really
yeah i now what you mean
please I think there just playing a a game and messing with people
It is true if you look into her eyes then you will see that there is a room and if the cat asks you question about where you live or something personal do not answer it because that man inside of Angela’s eye will come a murder you.you better believe this for your own safety.
This whole thing is 100% pure bull
I hate when my sarcasm get to the point when people legitimately think im that stupid.
Don’t be a boob, yourself! You are the most annoying at a time like this. Healthy people, who really love children, are willing to make errors in the direction of safety. And if that means spreading a warning about a possible attack on our children, then people like you are obstacles we must ignore. Your pseudo intellectual calm is misplaced and poorly timed. Quiet, please.
So you’re prepared to outsource decision making and critical thinking about your childrens’ safety to a random mob of third parties no matter how ludicrous their claims are, provided they provoke your understandable reflex to keep your children safe?
Doesn’t that attitude make you very easy to manipulate indeed? And isn’t that exactly what people who wish you ill would want?
I knew it
Who do you think you are for judging people? Look at your photo you are worser than a troll.its like you are the man from out fit 7 and saying the true.
Who’s judging now?
Me
worser is not a word…… :/
That’s funny
I don’t really care what happens talking Angela is a safe harmless app for kids
Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
The Scariest thing just happened, Angela said is my pet fish okay? I had never mentioned my fish so okkkkk…. Then I checked on him and he was dead soooooooooooooo………kind of freaky.
Mark Stockley,I am not trying to ruin ther people’s reputation but.She asked me….
1.My name
2.My age
3.My parents’ names
4.Who’s in my family(more likely,Who’s with me)
Glad she never asked my home address oranything really perverted
That’s how kids talk to each other, which is what Talking Angela is supposed to do.
Is it a good idea to give that information up unthinkingly? No it’s not. Does it lend any credence *at all* to the idea that Talking Angela is piloted remotely by a paedophile? No.
Does it matter if I told Angela my name 🙁
Uhh….Mark Stockley,The hoax can be true.I still have the app on my brothers phone as saw a room in her eyes.I’m not lying!
Yo dude if you think this story is fake zoom in Angela’s eyes and then come back with the truth
You are lieing
I’m probably still in the age bracket this app is aimed at and I’m pretty sure that any person who says this is real is saying so mainly because they want attention and want to start a rumour that outfit 7 is “Not child friendly” which is a pretty silly idea. Now I have tested this out and there is just a French street in Angela’s eyes. Also I discussed this with my dad and we both agree that this is just some silly hoax and the news articles are fake and the photos you see are just photoshop. Anyone who disagrees is trying to start this all over again and giving people a reason to be afraid of a simple kids app. Honestly, in my opinion, some people have a fear of paedophiles or being kidnapped. I’m one of those people, so making up a hoax about this is just a horrible thing to the people who have this fear. I just realised this is a long comment..
what? This is very true. Why don’t you just get the app yourself and look in her eyes? This is very dangerous for children. You don’t understand. This creepy man can hack you. Imagine, somebody, hacking your phone and taking random pictures? Not fun, huh?
I see it do not look into her eyes if you do you will a room with a book shelf and if you see the book shelf represents the face of the guy.
Covering your cam is fine but in child saftey they know it a child so they will take more photos!
thank u for warning me i play the but always cover the cam
Don’t forget your tinfoil hat…
no because if you put your finger on the camera he can get your fingerprint!
That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Your camera is a camera. It is not something a stupid app can scan the surface of.
Thank u for telling me!! I didn’t. Know that
OMG!!!!
Yes your right but is there a way to make taking Angila to hate a lot more than what you expect to be
Dude, i saw the room…but i didn’t cover the camera with my finger o.O
It’s not really, I see a room too, but it could just be a reflection, even if the room is the same every time. Talking Angela is safe and if you don’t like taking photos then, sure, cover the camera with something, but trust me it’s fine and return to whoever told you this and just think. Do they use punctuation in their comment? Does it make sense? Do you personally know them? However this is just my opinion, probably in the longest comment ever!
In addition, I also have heard of the incident where this girl was logging off and “Angela” told her to watch out, but, don’t believe everything you read. There are real people who are being stalked by paedophiles, and they need help, for now let’s focus on them and leave this behind as I and this web-maker have pointed out it’s not a real need for concern.
Facts bro I am not installing that app
Listen there is no creepy guy watching you.All of you are stupid there is no one in her eye I can prove it. I was playing it then she kept asking me the same thing do you think if there was someone controlling her they would ask you the same questions. I also took a picture of my self and noticed no one is in her eye. Put your fingers or hand in front of an empty space you will see it because of the reflection so if you took a picture of your self it will show yourself in her eyes. Are you really going to believe everything you read on facebook or Google or the Internet? Well if you do your stupid
Rude calling every one stupid you don’t even know them
He is correct
I think this is all true but how can the guy behind her eyes look through 1298 eyes all on different devices
Thats exatly it, some people dont belive the danger simply because they havent seen it for themselves, not every1 will, unless there is a whole secret society that no1 knows about, then he CANT look through all of those eyes, thats why not every1 belives it.
i was play this game but i cant play this game
I had this game I saw the man Im freaking out
It doesn’t show anything for me so..ITS FAKE!
The guy in her eyes is SUPPOSED TO BE YOU! She’s chatting with you. I guess this was supposed to be some kind of clever touch,but then some idiot decided to jump a a conclusion that cant be possible. How could a man be in an app, taking pictures of you? Please explain that knowledge.
Actually, for an app on play store to use your camera, it needs for another camera to be used at the same time! Some apps that need this hide it well, and cover the other camera, however, if you cover, your camera, the man stays! I’d like for you to explain that one for me, please. Also, my proof, I had this for a while, and even tried this myself. Also, when you wave, the ‘refletion’ doesn’t wave back.
“however, if you cover, your camera, the man stays! I’d like for you to explain that one for me, please.”
It isn’t a feed from the camera, it’s a static drawing.
True right
o. o
Covering a cam will not make a hacker go away
But it will cover your facecam
Off corse not
I thought it was weird how she wanted to access my camera!!!!!!!!! I said yes because I didn’t know:*(
its true he asked me my phone number and my address and he new about my brother even thou i never told them
Oh my… Well i don’t know was your brother next to you??? And when I download it it never really told me private info it only asked my name. But I didn’t trust “Angela” so I just put a fake name..
I have done some research, and OutFit7 said that it is physically impossible for someone to hack it. IF YOU GUYS ARE SO WORRIED ABOUT YOUR KIDS, DON’T DOWNLOAD THE APP! SIMPLE AS THAT!!!!!
I know right??? I was thinking of that too. I rechecked the picture I took and I remembered something….. There were pictures hanging on my wall. So I saw MY face and was like ohhh….but I was still not sure about getting that app again… My cousin warned me but I gess I forgot xD. But imma download it once again but in my friends iPod instead. I really want to see her reaction if she believes it or not.xD
That is weird because i’m a girl,My room is pink.Though,the rumor scared the living crap out of me.I uninstall the app and make a reason like “I’m moving to another country and never coming back”I was hoping to convience Angela to leave me alone.I’m scared.this scared me like How Five Nights At Freddy’s did
If it scares you, remove it.
What do you think “uninstall” means?
Oh really? That man is supposed to be you? I thought Angela was at a cafe in Paris? Not a bookshelf? Let me get this straight. So what you are saying is that she is in Paris and you have a background of a bookshelf. If you were in her eyes you would have a background of a cafe in Paris. (maybe like some chairs and the sky idk) Just saying~
We’ve had it over a year-theres no person in her eyes, no questions have been asked about my daughters a/s/l or where she goes to school, she hasn’t yet asked my daughter to stick out her tongue. We havent had it on adult mode much but my daughter loves the app and I see no harm in it. Does get kinda annoying her repeating everything you say after a while though lol.
Well don’t download it! It knew my name even when I didn’t ask it. There is even a youtuber called: ComedyShortsGamer. If you watch his most recent video: ”Hate that b**ch” it did the same!
Your name is on your device. I thought even YOU would figure that out.
i actully played i always cover the camra i never new there was a man th
You mean talking ginger
If you look closely into her eyes it’s actually the scene of France, your suppose to be talking to her in Paris . You an see the gravel ground and the roof of the buliding your sitting at. It’s all about how you preserve the picture.
Hey guys. 🙂 If you think it’s hacked then don’t play it. If you think you see the man, take multiple pictures, see if he moves. It’s impossible for someone to stay still for hours on end…
Me neither. What I find objectionable is the sexualized CAT.
me 2 i just heard of it
What makes no sense is these “debunkers” thinking that THEY (not a teenage girl) use it and “prove” nothing is funky about it. Ummm if you’re not what a pedophile is interested in, then why do you think that you will be able to provoke the “right” responses out of the app in order to “debunk” it? You would need to use a girl to bait the app and then you will have some actual research to support the “hoax”
I dont know 🙁 I was once the one who said “How can 1 man watch over 500 people?” But now i dont know as i have proof but i still think its fake so basically im in the middle….is this fake or is this real 🙁
Hmmm i dont know so its basically a mystery……my friend says the rumor is true. Can someone tell me as im on a Talking Angela Investigation…..
She asks stuff like where do you live, what are you wearing, how old are you, what’s your name. Don’t answer or just say ” I don’t know”
I agree that the rumours are a hoax! However, I can add another layer to why it would seem suspicious: As a youth worker we are encouraged, as parents are, to tell children never to use their full name and say anything that could give away their location (like the school they go to) online. I haven’t specifically heard it said, but I imagine people discourage their children from allowing others to take their pictures online! I know some parents don’t post pictures of their children online, or especially allow their children to post pictures of themselves online. So this app is encouraging children to do things that parents are hopefully discouraging children from doing. In that way alone, it is not an app that is suitable for children. Add to that that parents are always being told to help children understand that people online may not be who they say they are (eg adults posing as children). As parents tell children these things they are continuously reinforcing them to themselves too. Then comes along a cartoon cat that encourages children to do things they shouldn’t online (combined with all you have said above about the innuendo etc) and many people being unsure of how technology works (including me!) and they start wondering if this cat is not what it appears to be (simply an app!). Again, I repeat that I believe the near-hysteria is exactly that, but the above added to all the things you said, goes a long way to explaining how it became a big deal. Anyone who had felt a bit uneasy themselves (perhaps without even fully knowing why) jumped on the repost bandwagon, along with everyone who was just afraid anyway. Plus you don’t want to take risks with something like that so you just repost in case. Oh people of the internet, you make it so amazing and so….not!
Good point
Even if they were hacked it’s not really Outfit7 fault
It sounds to me like some competitor company is jealous of the success of OurFit7… what do you think? It is a possibility not to overlook.
Great article by the way, everybody should use the link to this one to answer to every message posted on the social networks, only to make the point.
It seems to me that many of the “Anti-Angela” people have a very juvenile tone to their posts. I’ve read other articles about this, and the comments decrying this app are very rarely coherent, and the grammar of these comments is painfully bad (even by internet commenting standards). Some of them may be people who really believe that a child of their friend’s cousin’s neighbor encountered something inappropriate in this app, but the thought crossed my mind that it could be a rival trying to discourage people from downloading this app.
It seems to me that the app is fine, the man in the room looks the same for all downloads of this app therefore it would be too much for one man to take all these pictures for 1000000 computers at once it would have to be a bot that does it, and people aren’t dumb, especially ones who are trying to break the law under the radar, they wouldn’t put a freaking screen in the eyes of the cat clearly showing the man who is taking a picture of you, if that was so this app would not fulfill any good criminal use besides just regular old virus. The eyes reflection was probably based off of a picture of a room with textures using cube maps to make the reflection.
also one more thing to think about is if the rapist were to actually be talking back to you, that would be way too many rapist, the network would be so big it would be way to easy to track and take down.
and there are like more than a million people playing that game, I don’t think he can watch every kid all the time
I’m guessing the man is the reflection of your “player” in the app. Just a little extra touch some idiot blew out of proportion.
Because the man is suppose to be YOU! That is who she is talking to. Like you said, The man appears in all Outfit7 games, which are basically just games that will talk to you. Yes, Talking Angela is different because you can take Child Mode off and just talks to an AI Program. But, had anybody ever looked at it this way: Whoever has played around with Cleverbot or something. IT learns what it is saying from what the real people are saying to it, so, maybe some people who play it are messing around with Angela. Flirting or being dirty. The AI Program used for that app could have picked up every single word from those type of people, and in the next update, used the exact same words/sentences. I would say, for a kids game/toy, Asking for it’s name and age wouldn’t really be a big BIG problem. But asking where he/she goes to school IS a bit fishy. But still, I think some people should try and think about it logically. Like me and the person who wrote this article.
Except… there is no man. You’re hallucinating.
Look deeply into her eyes …. deeeply …. and concentrate …. then you will see….. Jessica Rabbit.
Who is Jessica rabbit??
Lol i dunno
Who on earth is Jessica rabbit?!
Its who framed roger rabbit, get it right (she is his wife in the movie, a warner bros childrens movie for tweens+, an allegory about intolerance where people want to destroy all the cartoons in the world – quite an apt reference)
yes it’s right that … when I was playing talking angela she said to me I like ur comfy bed and I was on my bed … then I said to her do u know my bed :/
then she said ya I’m looking at u after that I said to the cat are u hacker then she said ya
then she said I have a knife and I’m coming to kill u then I quit but I’m also scared from that up yo now
I think sb wanna scam me ….. he play with my hard
I see sth is going on my bed and sleep there but I was only 7 years old
and now I get how to hack then I know what can I do to he don’t look at me and when I was quieting
I saw 5 person in her eyes and I saw one of them in talking ben too :S then I delete all my games that was talking and now I’m safe
You shouldn’t be downloading apps at all, you should pay more attention in school and be taught not to tell lies.
thank you someone who understands
Good point
the children at school have all heard and are talking about this app. My Child (11 yr old boy) is terrified because a girl in his class had this app and “may have” shot a pic of him with the app. he is afraid to go to sleep because the”man in the room” will use facial recognition software software to find him. I took about an hour to calm him down and explain that the app cannot do that.
The comments left by Lola are completely accurate. Although I believe this to be a hoax and no one is out to harm my children using this app, the makers should have thought things thru a little better. I would recommend that no child download this app not because you see creepy pedos in the cats eye, but because it goes against all parental advice of do not give out personal info or post photo to insure safety.
There is no pedo In the cats eye its a reflection of the Cafe you and her are in. The app is perfectly safe and if there was a pedo I’m sure they would be smart enough not to have their reflection of the room in to Angelas eyes because they would get caught easily. I tried the app and my little cousin did too and Angela seems normal like she did when the app started.
Honestly i dont know what to think
Three tips to avoid Facebook hoaxes
1. If you read it on Facebook, it’s a hoax
2. If you read it on Facebook, it’s a hoax
3. If you read it on Facebook, it’s a hoax
I so read it on facebook, XD!
if this game is soo bad then why won’t the take it away ………..
The people who control app stores are getting paid to sell the game and talking Angela is popular.
The people who run the app stores – Google, who run Google Play, and Apple, who run the AppStore, are worth about a trillion dollars combined.
The idea that either one (or either one’s shareholders) would stand by and allow their flagship stores reputations’ to be trashed for acting as a gateway for paedophiles for what is a vanishingly insignificant amount of money for either company is ridiculous.
Apple could probably make a lot more money if they allowed porn on the App Store, but they don’t.
Because a bunch of gullible mo**ns on the Internet won’t ruin a great app for everyone else…
I dont understand why people are doing this. Its not true and the cat is suppose to ask your name in order to greet you when you talk to her. Also the cat says flirty things but doesnt specifically talk about you but like tom and her, she is just having a real life conversation. Also if she does ask that info like where you live, why would you answer? You guys are putting the creators jobs at risk with your lies so I would suggest you stop with your lies. Another thing is a famous youtuber played this game not in child mode and there was nothing wrong with her. If you want to check it out on youtube type in Pewdiepie and you should be able to find it since its been posted recently on his channel. I also checked out the app and I found nothing wrong with it just a friendly app that talks to you like she is your friend and never asked were I lived or what school I go to (my little cousin has this app too) and when she asks your age she does that to find how to talk to you. Last thing is the lies you guys post about what the cat is doing is the same thing every time and some of your stories are being told over and over again like how she supposedly asked to stick your tounge out and what you do with it and when it asked your childs parents are home and if they have a brother or sister. Just doesn’t seem true.
2 kids got kidnapped because of this.
That is a quite extraordinary statement – kidnapping is a very, very serious crime so I hope you have clear evidence to back up what you have said.
Have you taken this incredibly important information to your local police department?
I sincerely hope that you are not simply throwing OutFit7 under the bus because you read something on Facebook or because you read the hoax news article about this on Huzlers.
Are you not concerned that not one of the world’s reputable news websites, news papers or TV channels is running this story? CNN have sent teams of journalists to provide wall-to-wall coverage of less. Why aren’t they? A journalist could make a career from a scoop like this – why do you think none of them are?
Indeed it is a very serious accusation and one that could land Alyssa in a lot of legal trouble.
And how do u know that 2 kids got kidnapped? If u have just heard this then it’s probably not true! It’s really unbelievable what people believe these days!
I agree with Mark Stockley the people who work on Outfit 7 has family’s to feed a real life and a roof to put over her/his head and if people who are saying this is true and saying people got seriously hurt and the people who work for OutFit7 get fired then discover this was a hoax i will be all you people who are saying this is true yes, it will be all your fault therefor don’t just believe everything you read on the internet!
Bro no one got kidnapped because of this it is just rumours
I played around with this App. I don’t care about the picture in the cat’s eye. That BS. But the questions and it’s answers seem very creepy to me and my daughter. I question that creepiness more then anything.
It’s not some one taking pictures the reflection in the eyes is to make it realistic and the thing you see it meant to be you!!!
No. It’s just a static reflection of a street in Paris.
No
I think all of you need to shut up! Angela may or may not be real, but even if she isnt people are still aloud to think whatever they want! Me personally think that I should take precautions so I am not getting anymore apps from Outfit7, and that is NO REASON FOR YOU ALL TO BE HATING! All of the people that are saying Angela is perfectly safe, than why are people who are getting the app all of a sudden getting dirty messages, huh? And how come it happened to millions of people? I have actually witnessed the things angela has done, so I suggest you should NOT get the app. But that is YOUR choice! I am jusst giving my educated advice, I am not trying to make you do anything, but if you want to stay safe and keep your information and pictures of yourself TO YOURSLEF, then I suggest you DO NOT get this app.
Yes, of course people are allowed to think what they want (did anyone say otherwise?) but if you act on those thoughts then your actions have consequences and people should not, in my opinion, be allowed to simply walk away from those consequences on the basis of trite and unthinking platitudes like “no smoke without fire” or “better to be safe than sorry”.
You are actively spreading a hoax and that is destructive behaviour.
You are helping nobody, you are perpetuating a baseless panic, you are crying wolf and you are giving out bad security and privacy advice.
Most seriously for me you are trashing the personal and commercial reputations of people who work for OutFit7. The consequences of that will be borne by those people and the people dependent upon them.
I agree fully and completely. I have tried out this app, the so called peadophile run “Talking Angela”, and in my time with the app I have found nothing out of the ordinary. There is a child mode and an adult mode, and in the child mode, you can only talk into a microphone, and in the adult mode, you type it in at the bottom of the screen. The “old man in a room taking pictures” behind Angela’s eyes is also falsely spread information. Counting myself and 4 of my friends, none of us saw the rumored “old man”. Talking Angela’s responses are written by computer software made for responding and computers can occasionally misspell and use phrases that are sometimes grammatically incorrect.
Someone Who Knows, I suggest you start learning how to spell before you start talking and giving your petty advice.
No offense, but I think that comment was stupid. Does it really matter if you spell something wrong? It’s all about what people are saying. I know I sound like an bossy idiot but I think that was kind of rude.
It does matter if you spell something wrong! I mean its kind of stupid when you spell something wrong and you know how to spell it. There’s a dictionary of text already! COME ON PEOPLE!!!!
Well duh most people in the comments are saying ” do not get this app!” most people know not to get the app and delete it if they have it! And most of the comments are saying what ” Angela” was saying to them!
But honestly all of this is a hoax, I’ve tested everything out myself and it hasn’t said anything totally out of the ordinary…
i agree
PLEASE KNOW YOUR GRAMMER!!!!!!
please know your spelling- *grammar
I hope the makers of this App are able to sue and collect from the evil people spreading this nonsense.
Since most of it are minors it doesn’t seem realistic. And it could turn into a much worse PR disaster…
Did you ever think that the dirty messages that the people are saying that they got are lies? You could say what you think but personally you can ruin the career of Outfit7 because people tell lies about this app. Also if you think that Angela is saying inappropriate try using child mode if you haven’t and in my opinion I dont think what Angela says is inappropriate but I dont really recommend this for boys if you don’t like to talk about dating and your first kiss (witch she mostly talks about.)
But if they were lies then y would people post this
If you do perhaps see any screenshots of angela saying unsavoury things, keep in mind that if in the in game chat, if you ask her to say something, literally, she will. Example
(You) say ” I like blueberry ice cream ”
( angela) I like blueberry ice cream
Lots of people saying it’s inappropriate for kids, haven’t seen any real evidence. Newspapers and experts saying it’s OK. Probably tested by adults pretending to be kids. Millions of downloads, would the testers necessarily be targeted if this app is ‘dangerous’?
‘Angela’ isn’t a cat. Ignore the cat’s head and what’s left? A possibly anorexic young female of indeterminate age. Do you know ‘Angela’? In real life would you let your young kid sit outside a cafe talking to someone older they (and you) don’t know?
Yeah, but it’s online, what harm could there *possibly* be?
thing is, it ISN’T online,it is on your computer (phone/tablet/androidPC/ipod – whatever type) not online at all.
The testers can tell if the app is sending data, and what that data is, if it isn’t sending stuff about the users there is no possibility for it to be dangerous – and it isn’t.
Talking Angela a devil in disguise!!!
Really? No but Really?
To coin a phrase.
“Nobody has actually been able to fathom the depths of ignorance and outright stupidity of the man in the street.”
Intelligence and common sense have taken a backseat to downright witlessness.
it’s quite obviously a marketing gimick by the app makers, and you all fell for it…
Yes because every company does pedophile-related PR stunts.
Wow… if ever an article was needed to bring out the Trolls, it would be this one.
People have to use a little common sense to realise the reflection is meant to be the person Angela is chatting with. It’s not practical to change the reflection for each user, but maybe remove it in the future.
I’m shocked that people want to suggest that this app has a paedophilia nature to it and to not realise that statements like that are only tarring people that have a healthy nature towards children.
It’s certainly fuelled the fb & other social networking site trolls.
Here is the thing about the “reflection” of you or your “character” whom you are using to communicate with Angela. Why isn’t it on all of the apps, why do only some people notice it, or even ever see it? Try to answer that.
The same person that initially thought this was a malicious app is probably the same complete idiot that lead the charge of mindless morons that destroyed a pediatrician’s house thinking he was a child predator rather than a child doctor! Some people are complete idiots, The internet just gives them a soap box to stand on and prove it to the rest of the world
WOW, Amazing all of the conjecture and speculation. So, as an actual security geek, here is my opinion and a couple of questions.
First, ANY application which can be put on any device can be used for good or bad, depending on the legitimacy or programming of an app. While this app may be absolutely harmless, there MAY be others out there playing off the popularity of this one which contain hooks to control the device remotely and capture photos and chat to help build profiles.
If you are a parent and your kid has this app, have you spent the time to play it with your child to see what it asks? If you have question about this or any other app for that matter, why do you allow it on your/your child’s device?
Has anyone looked at the device logs or inbound/outbound calls from this app to see if any personal data is being uploaded to a site, whether it be the author’s site or other?
Oh, and these days, just about EVERY app out there is asking for or demanding to know your “exact” location or you cannot download it. Be sensible in what apps you allow to have this information, Sorry, you just may have to live without some talking kitty or hugga-monster app.. OMG!!!
Lastly, let me make myself exceptionally clear. I am not saying ANYTHING against or for the Angela app, merely commenting on what should be the use of common sense in the use of our devices. There are many apps, both legitimate and not that allow for the pinpointing of location within a few meters of a device. This includes anti-virus, mapping and photo geo-location apps in addition to social engineering.. err, social networking/gaming sites.
Bottom line be smart and thoughtful about the apps and permissions, especially when it comes to your child.
Hear hear!
why did they make it that your flashlight turns on when you type illuminatie?
Because it thinks you were trying to say illuminate, so it puts on your flash like flashlight
This is an example of a wider world issue where self-run media rules and we see idiots able to voice mindless opinion with impunity, fuelling hysteria in the ranks of the great unwashed. Should everyone be allowed to have their say? Or, does this conflict with a once upon a time law that said you were innocent until proven guilty? Now you are guilty by default and even once proven otherwise still guilty just in case. Sadly it is clear many amongst us are incapable of seeing past emotive reaction and actually using their brains a little. I can’t see the situation getting better anytime soon.
Accusing someone of pedophilia does not fall under free speech.
People can say there opinion ,everybody can
Accusing someone of pedophilia is not just voicing an opinion. It can ruin someone else’s life.
Ok, that thing in her eyes? It’s a street in Paris! The game is about a cat in Paris! Do the research, it’s supposed toclook like her pupils are reflecting what’s behind the viewer to make it more realistic. I think Talking Angela is a safe game, for both kids and adults. I have checked tons of websites, many have said it’s a stalker who created the game to find out personal information about the user, like where one may live, there phone number, ID, and there IP number. However the majority have said it’s perfectly safe. Having this game for five years on both my iPod (dosent have a camera), and my Samsung Galaxy Tablet (with a front camera) I would expect she would have said something like, “Can you stick out your tongue?” or “Please remove your finger somI can see your face!” Though, she has asked me my name. But only so she knows The type of language she can use. So, take my advice, Talking Angela is a perfectly safe game, with no pedophiles or anything like that.
Then why did my friend see on a website that 70% of people that got robed played it
Robed? It put clothes on them?
Just remember that 49.5% of all statistics are made up
I know a guy who knows a guy who was talking a woman who was at a shop buying stuff and she heard a guy talking to a woman and he said he knew a guy and the guys cousin had the app and it asked where she stayed and within 5 minutes a guy appeared at her door wanting sex, I’m not saying it’s true but the evidence is pretty damning.
People should know about this. Let’s spread it on Facebook. 😛
“I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a women…” Seems legit… 😛
I’m still amazed a cat can talk! Mental!
Well………. If I do say So Myself If TAlking Angela was as dangerous as people say they wouldnt keep it alloweed to be downloaded ……. But On the other I am a little spooked it may not be true but it seems so truuee
Well, to be fair Jarrai, Apple aren’t just going to remove it over some ”rumours” the police need proof. Like REAL proof. I have seen the eye reflection for myself but I have never noticed a man. This could easily be photoshopped. Either way, this has spooked me out so much too.
The “room” in Angela’s eyes is just to give her eyes volume. It’s just a reflection of the street she is facing. And the person is just you; you are talking with her! It’s meant to look realistic. This is all fake, and if you look on the app reviews, the first one is from an Apple developer, who explains it all.
Well if he kills u cuz u played on the app dont blame the people who are worning u ok? Ok
You actually think you’re helping people, right? In reality, you’re just spreading fear and uncertainty, which means YOU are the one people should be warned against.
Oh wow first you say ” guys it’s just YOUR REFLECTION! ” and you you’re saying ” DON’T GET THE APP THERE ARE HACKES IN ANGELA’S EYE! ” to be honest your not helping at all.
Who should I believe………….is it a person or is it not a person
Use common sense. If you lack it, then trust this article.
I dont no what to believe here. So many people saying that her eye is just a reflection of the street but then alot of people are saying its a pedo and not to download it.
It’s as if you didn’t read the blog post by Sophos at all.
This is my own opinion, but I do believe this is dangerous. Maybe the rumours might have over-done it… But there is no denying that it shouldn’t ask these personal questions like:
‘Whats your name?’
‘Im 18! How old are you?
‘What school do you go to?’
Also I noticed the background in the eye of Angela and it cant be the reflection as she is outside and that is clearly the inside of a room. But I have never seen a man before. I would highly suggest covering your camera with your finger or something, but some cases of this have resulted in Angela saying: ‘Take your finger away from the camera! Whats wrong with you?’ (Or something like that).
Either way, I believe there is more to this game than talking to a simple chat bot.
It’s as if you didn’t read the blog post by Sophos at all.
I do have to say this hysteria over this app is just ridiculous. I had to give it try and i found it harmless.
Angela is a very cute 3d character and she responds as good as possible to questions, as good as a bot can.
As for the reflection in her eyes. I work daily with 3d characters and reflections are added to the eye surface to make them look more natural. Because if we didn’t the eyes would look dull.
“I decided to take a look at the Talking Angela app, and to read the comments on our site and the Google Play Store to see if there was anything that might explain this tsunami of attention.”
Yes, there is something to explain this: Abject stupidity.
I’m not stupid
Tried talking Angela three times I believe the truth I think this is the truth I saw the man he sad remove Uringer off the camera and I asked Angela if she was a child mmelester and she keeps on denying me and then I pressed the heart and it took a picture of me atamatacly I was scared so I deleted the app but I’m a ten Ur old u don’t need to beleiive me if u don’t want to
That’s what the heart button is for – it’s for taking photos (it’s only in older versions of Talking Angela though, not the current version).
You pressed the ‘take a photos’ button and you took a photo of yourself.
Ok people…. I need to know.. Is this TRUE or FALSE?
It’s as if you didn’t read the blog post by Sophos at all.
Looking at the eyes it’s blatantly obvious to anyone with at least half a brain that the “room” is the other side of the room she is sitting in and the “Man” is supposed to be your reflection in her eyes. This is a graphical “trick” that is used pretty extensively in the games industry to add realism. I’ve seen this used in hundreds of games so it really doesn’t surprise me that much to see it in an App. People need to get a clue… or at least find the other half of their brain they seem to be missing.
True, the app is hacked, just cover the camera and don’t ask any personal information, then the kid will have much more fun than usual! especially when there is no hoax on it! But I do believe the kidnapping part , I’ve heard so many people get kidnapped by this even my granny that is so old, well even my kids!
The really worrying thing is that there are so many people out there who are gullible, paranoid and illiterate. If this is how they respond to a talking cat on Facebook, how do they respond if someone looks at them “in a funny way” in the street?
Notice how NSA can really invade your privacy and nobody shares it like Angela on social networks :S
Hmmm…if I were the parent of a young child, I wouldn’t allow them to play with this. The “mildly flirty” comments aren’t something that a young child should have to deal with. It’s that sort of thing that “grooms” children for consequent sexual abuse. No, not by a pedophile in Angela’s eyes, but any one of ten of thousands of real-life, intelligent, practiced predators. Why give them an advantage?
She’s a witch!! Burn her!!
You mean throw some water to her?
If ANY parent suspect that ANY app, website, phone call, etc., MAY be a sexual predator preying on their children their best course of action is to access the FBI.gov site where you can click on the Parents link and find;
Protecting Your Kids in Cyberspace
Combating Cyber Predators (Innocent Images program)
A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety
Keep Safe on Social Networking Sites
Advice for Kids
Stop Cyberbullying
Read up and follow the directions on how to report anything that is “off”, threatening, or overtly sexual in nature.
fbi.gov/stats-services/parents/
(In a country other than the US you will need to find your governments reporting agency for such crimes)
Hopefully they will press charges against such “responsible” parents for false reports as well. You know, for example, if the thing turns out to be a hoax.
Also if they are hacking, what’s a better way then to get info out of kids who don’t know about internet safety!
There is no way a group of Pedos could watch Thousands/Millions of people at the same time. Impossible. This lesson shows you shouldn’t believe EVERYTHING on the internet.
If talking Angela was hacked, which it’s not. The person hacking it would be very skilled and likely very smart, and people will pay money, a lot of it, to have someone this skilled. So why would someone with this much talent sit in front of a computer screen stalking young children? The people who keep trying to convince others that it is hacked are just trying to cause drama, so don’t listen to them.
And NOW you say it’s NOT hacked I’ve read your previous comments and most of them said that talking Angela IS hacked
Geez, “Anonymous” means the person didn’t fill in their name when commenting.
(Developers are behind rumor)…..
That was my first thought when I heard about this ridiculousness. I’m surprised this is the first time I’ve seen this theory mentioned anywhere. Since even bad press is good for shameless promotion of a product,(probably better than good press, in this case), I’m not quite sure how this could be harmful to them. The app has become wildly popular & the dev’s are surely laughing all the way to their banks.
The most frightening realization from this non-sense, is the utter lack of common sense & hint of intelligent thinking that a good portion of the American population (I’m assuming) has the capability of doing today. The song title “only the stupid people are breeding” is sad, but very true. The future of this country is totally screwed!
On second thought……….
I can totally picture this one lone smelly, greasy, creepy dude sitting in his mothers basement with a notebook filled with thousands of kids names & pictures along with their ages, brothers/sisters ages & name of school. He’s anticipating the signal that indicates they pulled up their Angela app. He then pages through that sticky notebook, to their page so he can ask a few more random questions of them & hopefully, sneak another coveted head shot. The whole time, just praying he isn’t outed through that one glitch he couldn’t fix….Damn you, Angela’s eye!
You aren’t sure how being accused of being, or colluding with paedophiles could be harmful to the somebody? Seriously?
In software development, I can tell you that making a live IP camera feed by accident will take a lot of effort. These devices support one-way video, and after thorough inspection of the app (YEAH, I put effort in for you guys) I managed to find the textured model of the eyes, which are all connected to a large mesh. as I will post soon, the eyes LITERALLY just have a picture. Now stop your griping and join me for some tea.
I don’t know what to think.It does ask personal questions and I read that a girl was playing it and ‘Angela’ asked her where she lived.The girl lied.’Angela’ replied “you lied.” The girl’s aunt’s address came up on the screen.When the girl tried to log off, ‘Angela’ said ” I know you’re about to log off, watch out beautiful.”
Yet again, the story seems a tiny bit untrue.The reflection in Angela’s eyes is just to make it look more realistic.As if the hacker, if there is one,would just decide to put a picture in Angela’s eyes just to get everyone’s attention.Plus, I don’t see a man in Angela’s eyes.If there is a hacker, how would he keep track of millions of people?
I have to agree that it is very easy for children to switch on to adult mode and give out personal information.
It’s as if you didn’t read the blog post by Sophos at all. Everything is explained there you know.
On what I read it said there isint just 1 person… But many behind the Angela eyes
Is it nice being paranoid all the time? Makes you feel good?
just delete the app, problem solved..
Or: just use your brain, problem solved..
I am surprised, people have put so much time into trying to straighten people out who are still believing this bull. good for you.
Stupidity should never win.
If a pedophile wanted to take pictures, he wouldn’t need to show his own picture.
If you suspect something about this app, delete/don’t install it. If you believe it to be a hoax, then keep/install it if you wish to.
If their intent was to get pictures of children, then what would they have done about the devices built without cameras, like mine?
Seriously trolls and ppl who decide to spread rumors just to be on the ‘safe’ side, are robbing these developers source of income…just saying…when you deny ppl of earning a living the proper way, you are increasing their propensity to truly commit crime.
If it’s causing so much distress to people, why don’t the developers have an update for the people that have been distressed about this child’s app, where there is no reflection in her eye. But you have got to admit that reflection is pretty creepy, especially for a small child that will play the game.
It’s not creepy. Nobody will change a silly reflection just because you say so.
There has been an update. There’s no reflection in Angela’s eyes anymore.
Please… Let’s try and be a little realistic here. If a person is going to hack into an app so that they can talk to, and take photos of people, do you really think that they would waste bandwidth, programming time and downloading to have a viewing area in the cats eyes? Let alone have a webcam on their side? Stop being stupid! Stop spreading this stupid hoax.
I really didn’t know tat talking Angela waz dangerous until now… Next time I play it I will make sure I cover the camera thnxs 4 telling me ^~^
How about you read the article next time? It’s NOT REAL.
PLEASE THERES NO HACKER IN THERE BECAUSE ITS JUST A REFLECTION OF YOURSELF THATS WHY THEY PUT THAT HUMAN IN HER EYES! THE ONE THAT I SAY IS NOT A HOAX
I agree with you Anonymous
*rolls eyes* People believe this baloney? *sighs* People how could someone program him/herself into her eyes? I mean come on. Talking Angela is safe. Psychlone thank you for pointing that out. The Talking Ginger rumor isn’t real either. How do I know? I played Talking Angela for months and look I am fine. It is just a reflection of Paris. Stop being dumb and use common sense. Talking Ginger I had also. Not for as long though. None of this baloney is true.
hey guys its not us at her eyes becouse my old phone doesent have camera sooooo maybe its a hacker becouse sometimes ita just a room and sometimes its a room with a guy sitting there and when the guy is there the answeres are true but when his not there are stupid answers
I’ve never heard of it until today.
I guess if it’s OK for a real-life stranger to say slightly flirtatious things with a knowing wink to your children, then you’d probably be happy with this…personally if someone I didn’t know (or even someone I knew) behaved like that with one of my kids, I would remove them from that situation.
Thank goodness for sheeple
God Dammit! What is wrong with this world!
This is quite interesting. Very, very freaky of course. I really don’t know if this is true, or not. Alot of people have been saying things like ” Talking Angela asked for my age!” Or “Talking Angela asked where I lived!’ I have had the app, but it was always in child mode, because I was younger. I never really encountered Angela’s questions, but my friends sure have. My good friend had told me that, talking angela asked her where her brother is. She didn’t tell Angel where her brother was, but she did type “How do you know I have a brother?” Angela replied with a very, suprising comment “Because I can see him, and you.” My friend told me that Angela also asked, if she had any cameras or gaurd dogs outside her house. When my friend tried to log off, Angela said something that REALLY scared my friend. Angela said that: I hate you, you love me, I’ll kill you and your family. My friend REALLY freaked after that. I’m really not sure though. People have been spreading this rumor around for a while now. I just don’t know what to think, but I’m not taking a chance of downloading this app. I also heard that the app, even if you delete it, it can track your ip. I’m a 13 year old girl, and even though I used to play in child mode, I’m quite glad that I never had to encounter the scary Talking Angela. Talking Angela sure is very, very interesting, and scary!
The amount of stupidity in the comments section here is mind numbing. Those who believe these stories should simply burn their phones in order to protect themselves.
Me and my friends where looking at this stuff and then we took at a button that said start hack
yo its creepy about the stalker dude he needs to get a life the creep!
I think the guy is a fuck*ng je*k
What is wrong with that
It cut be nice but with spies anD stalkers no
If it really was a hacker why would they put there own image in the eyes
Why should a pedophile put a picture of himself in her eyes? That is dumb to do. It is also stupid that people believe there’s a pedo in her eyes.
If your camera is on, you can see a little red light. I played it for years and i am not kidnapped! I looked and did not see a room. This hoax has to stop, it is not true.
What is going on? Angela is just a cat, not a pedo. I downloaded the app, i did not see a room or a guy. It is just a stupid story someone made up. And even if there was a hacker, he would not put his image in Angela’s eye?
yes he would he is stalking
a boy got kiddnaped after downloading this game. if you see the guy call 911 and tell your parents and stay away from him. REMEMBER….. DON’T GO NEAR HIM
OK thanks
Wow, just…wow. It’s quite amazing to me, the lack of common sense and basic education.
All these kids are obviously lying to freak each other out, for a laugh or just for attention. Because kids have never done THAT before right? The “adults” who participate in this malicious hoax should be ashamed of themselves.
If you’re so worried about apps your clearly don’t understand, then it’s probably best you don’t give your 7 year old a smart device at all and learn how the Internet and apps work.
There are far more dangerous apps/social media sites to be worried about than a talking cat.
I’m just saying….rumours like this dont just make themselves up….you would have to have evidence for the scheme
it asked if it could use camera and microphone so I blocked that and then my friends told me about the eyes so I looked but there was nothing there yet I was so scared I. I saw many pictures of the eyes thought.
I have never gotten the game, but I’ve done some investigating in Angela’s eyes. My friends and I see the process of video feeds in her pupils. Beware; if you do get the game, I would recommend a scary mask or anything to hide you and your location. I will probably take a look at this game. (mischievous grin)
OMG. You guys. Just. Don’t. Download. It. If.u.think. its.CREEPY. OMG… I saw nothing in her eyes!!!! Just black and gray, OMG. Its KO to play, Ok? Got some common sense? I’ve played it for years!!!! I’m not kidnapped! Its all a F.A.K.E.👀👀👀
Very nicely written piece, in my opinion 😉
Hoax or not, there’s definitely something to be said for how extravagantly people feel the need to describe the hidden paedophiles.
Perhaps writing a play or a book would be a better outlet for their ‘creative’ imaginations .
But you know… Maybe those hidden folk are LITERALLY hidden INSIDE the devices…
Like tiny elves…who like children too much…
Mhmm. That’s my 2 cents worth 🙂
Nice article though!
My question is why would it ask your address if since it’d have to be on wifi, it could trace your ip?
it asks you question so they can get your number,address so they can come and kidnap you when your parents aren’t around
A hole company is on it because there is not a million same men they might have a secret base to kidnap I wonder were the children go and what happens to them and if app store company reads it please take it off
Here is a little experiment… Get the talking Angela app and change it to text mode then type in “it’s dark” and if she says something like”do you want to hear a story just keep on typing “it’s dark” then , like she did to my phone,she will turn on the flashlight in the back of your iphone . This only works with apple products but try it on other products
-10year old Ashlyn E. Stephenson 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😰😰😰😰😰
Just dont downloaded it if you think iss hacked. Problem solved!!
I’m never going to download talking Angela p.s I’m nine years old how old are anonymous? you are proble not going to get any presents for Christmas now you think that I’m mean but I’m telling you not to download talking Angela that is just a heads up.if you type up (is talking Angela bad)you will see other pic zoom in and you will see a face it’s hard to believe but it’s true 📱📱📱
reply me back if you agree with me if talking Angela should not be a app like,comment,share it’s easy as 123
You guys claim that this “man” is creepy and asks for your age, yet…
I saw about ten comments earlier stating/asking ages?
I kinda think Angela is safe then I don’t because I haven’t saw nothing in her eye uet…but I have a feeling that this game is going to get worse and worse..because the more people who play it the more they get acsesss to people phone and children i believe the people who said this is bad
What if the reflection in the eye is just a random image taken from the internet to give the eyes a more natural look :/
Also, why WOULD they put an image in the eye if they were spying on you? this is such a bad hoax