EMMET COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — The Emmet County Sherriff’s Office is sounding the alarm to bring awareness to several apps that could compromise personal data and be a platform for cyber-bullying.
Deputy Fisher said the sheriff’s office first became aware of these apps through schools reaching out to them.
Fisher said students were using several apps such as “Tea on Her,” “Tea on Him,” “Meet Me” And “Overheard.”
Fisher warns that on some of these apps, there are features such as “video chatting with strangers” and “posting anonymously,” and that concerned teachers.
“They had concerns that the apps were being used to harass, bully and post inappropriate things about other students online,” Fisher said.
Fisher said Tea on Her and Tea on Him was originally created for adults 18 and older.
However, she said these apps have turned into something much bigger.
“My understanding of what the original intent was for people who are young adults, college age and up. They’re able to use the app to make profiles of people that they’re thinking about dating,” Fisher said. “Unfortunately, that’s not how we’re seeing it be used in our local area and our schools.”
Fisher said even creating a profile can put your personal information and yourself in danger.
“So even the profiles that kids are making of themselves or of other students, oftentimes they’re including information such as age, school, location, full name, things like that which are concerning by themselves,” Fisher said. “However, some of these apps do ask for all of the data, all of the information off your phone just to create that profile.”
Fisher said while some of these apps have been removed for violating safety measures, they are never really gone.
“What is happening is as these apps are determined to be against what’s allowed on the apps store, just based on what they’re being used for and their lack of safety measures. There’s even a data breach on one of them where people’s personal information was leaked,” Fisher said. “So, as that happens these apps are removed and because there’s money to be made with the app’s downloads and the usage, other people are coming out, and they are releasing similar apps just knowing that it’ll get picked up where the other one left off.”
In an Emmet County Sherrif’s Office post on social media, deputies suggest parents place parental controls on their children’s phones and talk openly with them.
“If these kids didn’t feel like they had an adult that they could reach out to, you know, their parents or staff at the schools, we wouldn’t have been made aware of this issue,” Fisher said. “So, having that open line of communication where they feel they can let you know if there is something going on, if they’re being bullied or if someone else is, that is huge with being able to get the issue taken care of.”
