NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the past several months, one mobile messaging application has been consistently amongst the 50 top-grossing applications in the iOS App Store, beating popular applications such as Twitter, Wechat and Weibo. Named "Metalk" by its developers, Logicquest Technology Inc., operated and marketed by SecureCom Media Holdings Limited, the instant messaging application sports a myriad of security and privacy features.
On February 17, 2016, Metalk launched its dual pattern password function, the icing on the cake for personal chat privacy, and instantly drew the attention of many Asian users. Earlier versions of Metalk were already equipped with a pattern password protection feature, such that when one opens the application from the background, the user is prompted to input a pattern password already previously set, and upon 5 wrong tries, all local data within Metalk will be deleted, protecting the chat history against intrusion from mobile thieves with a malicious agenda.
The dual pattern password feature, available to Metalk's VIP users who pay USD$29.99 per year to enjoy a range of special features, allows users to segment their list of contacts into 2 groups – Normal and Private. Inputting the normal pattern password opens the application with only Normal contacts and chats / events posted by them visible to the user. The secondary password opens the chat information and other correspondences related to Private contacts.
The real-Life application of this feature has drawn much controversy. Several Weibo users in China have criticized the feature as one that would allow spouses to hide secrets from each other, or cheat on each other. Other Asian users have commented in the App Store that with such a feature, the application is attempting to build a community of users with a lifestyle of secrecy and lies.
On the other hand, users have also provided positive comments regarding this function. Several users have mentioned that while the normal pattern password protects private information against malicious thieves and intruders, the dual pattern password function protects against spying from people closer to oneself. The colleague sitting next to you could have seen you draw the pattern password ten times a day, and could probably memorize it. Segmenting sensitive information and contacts would help greatly in guarding against people in close proximity who are not part of one's trust circle.
Regardless of the controversy, we believe this to be a breakthrough in innovating to protect one's privacy, in a world where nothing is very private anymore. This function, definitely the first if its kind, could bring about a wave of awareness to the need for privacy in a society where information penetrates every corner of our daily lives.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160225/337446
SOURCE Securecom Media Holdings Limited
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