The app that I am going to refer to is called , or True.ly in English. As of 2.15.2022, its creators got it off the app store because they didn't realize that it would gain 20 mil + users in a single week, and the servers are struggling severely.
Its TOS is... more than depressing, stating that the app will "reserve all rights to redistribute and commercialize user-posted content", and can sell your: ip address, IDFA, MAC address, birthday, name, social media links, your degree, etc. to third party advertisers after "de-fingerprinting processes", which is total bs.
What does this app offer, to be clear?
True.ly is positioned as a app which allows for already close friends to connect. It only allows up to 50 friends for a single acc.
It has the following functions:
-the main hub, which displays you and your friends avatars in a lobby, of which everyone can customize their own "statuses", displaying your avatar in different poses with different props, and a speech bubble floating on top which you can write a short phrase of text into.
-the chat function, its ui is similar to iMessage, with simplistic interfaces which honestly feel pleasant to use.
-the "what are you doing?" button, which sends a notification to a selected friend, serving as a shortcut, letting that friend take a quick picture and send it to you in your private chat.
-"Share Location" button. which when both or more friends joins, shows their location, surrounding temperature, and a guesstimate of where they are ("at the mall", "at a certain apartment", "at his/her home", etc.)
-A "timeline" page, which everyone can take quick pics of their daily commotions to share alongside narration (w/ text boxes) in to a scroll-down timeline.
aaand yeah, that's basically it. but the execution of True.ly is honestly incredibly satisfying, and the key factor that makes it so popular.
Wait... So what about privacy?
ah, I'm happy that you mentioned it.
>yes, the app can track your whereabouts 24/7 once you give it permissions in settings.
>yes, everything you are posting can be commercialized by the platform for its own profits.
>yes, they are using your texts to gather information to sell to advertisers
>yes, the Chinese government is free to access any and all of these data which True.ly stores permanently on the cloud.
>and yes, it is sadly a fucking pleasure to use it to hang out with friends. so I am going to continue to use it.
i own my soul to big tech in China now pls god help me
additional reading material (I can only find articles in mandarin so you all prolly need to use google translate)
https://baike.baidu.com/tashuo/browse/co...B%E5%96%B1
(btw Aoki i finished breaking bad and its finale is mid, no reconciliation at all between jesse and walt so it's just pure depressing)
(better call saul is way more fun than breaking bad imo
)