Yubo – Formally Yellow
Risk Score
High
App Details
Yubo is a social media app (formally known as Yellow). Users go on the app to meet new friends, chat, live stream, and create live video rooms with up to 4 friends (and an unlimited number of watchers). The app can also be linked to Snapchat and Instagram so that pictures can be added to the Yubo profile.
Why is it a risk?
Yubo has raised concerns relating to the potential danger it can pose to young users, and has been dubbed as the "Tinder for teens" in a 2018 news article. Fears have been raised that the app may be used by predators looking to groom vulnerable children online and while location settings can be turned off, location features are integral to the app and so it is unlikely that a user would opt to adjust these. There are no further privacy settings and users are unable to block users from seeing their profile. Moreover there is a lack of content control through the app, so inappropriate text and images can easily end up being seen by younger users. For instance, a school girl from Limerick, Ireland reported that children use the app to share inappropriate images.