Fake Calculator – Secret Vault & Private Browser
Risk Score
High
App Details
This app is a private storage app in which users can hide photos, videos, passwords and contacts. The app has "a discrete icon that looks like a normal calculator", and includes a private browser so users can "browse the internet without any trace".
Why is it a risk?
This type of app is known as a hidden vault app. Whilst the app itself is not inherently dangerous, the manner in which some individuals use them can put that individual at risk. These apps are commonly used to store inappropriate images and pornographic content, which can cause serious issues if that content belongs to a minor. There has been a recent outcry about these apps and the manner in which deception is designed into the app itself (standing as a calculator rather than displaying as a vault). Apple has made a move to ban these apps out of fear that children are using them to store inappropriate images and prevent a parent being able to intervene.