Facebook-owned Onavo launches an app that locks down other apps

Privacy is a major concern today and Facebook wants to ensure that all the data of its users are safe and protected. Hence the social networking giant- owned Onavo has quietly launched an Android app called Bolt App Lock that lets users lock down other apps that they do not want others to access. The app first released on March 5th was live until the March 9th afternoon, as spotted by TechCrunch.

The Bolt App Lock lets users add additional security measures like PIN codes, fingerprint recognition, patterns to the apps you don't want others to access. Once Bolt is used to lock a given app, Onavo will know how often the user is unlocking that app, a crucial source of user data that can be funnelled back to Facebook. The app also reports back general device and network information, which might be a serious issue related to privacy.

Bolt App Lock had a description at the bottom of its Google Play Store listing, where the company earlier stated, "We collect info about your mobile device and the apps installed on it.” But then it added, “Because we’re part of Facebook, we also use this info to improve Facebook products.” Passing an app off as a tool to keep users safe while porting their personal data around the internet is a dishonest thing to do by any company.

The app has been removed from Google Play Store.