Talking Angela rumors true??!!!!?

[Leigh]

Of course the rumors are not true. This hoax began with a post on Facebook which in itself is highly questionable and quite frankly absurd. For starters the developers of this app, OutFit7 have been developing these kind of apps for a long time and are a perfectly respectable company.

Talking Angela uses a highly developed chatbot or AI which is programmed to respond and learn to things that you tell it. This kind of technology has been around for years. The app has a child mode which does not allow children to chat with Angela, if disabled then Angela will ask for your name and your age, this is so it can address you by your name during conversations and so it can ask you age appropriate questions. The app also (if you allow it) makes use of your front facing camera, this is because Angela is programmed with facial recognition software that can read facial expressions and body language. If you cover the camera and stop light getting in then Angela will say something along the lines of "stop covering the camera", this is nothing creepy or any sign of someone watching you, it is programmed to detect this. The app also does NOT take pictures of you using this or any other camera.

As regards to the alleged person in Angela's eyes, there isn't one, neither is it a room. It is in fact the image of a street (see below link), this is to simulate the reflection of Angela's surroundings just like an eye would do in real life. You can easily make out a road or pavement, potted plants along the walls, and don't just focus on the pupil like most people do, if you look at the iris then you'll notice the roof tops of the buildings and a chimney on the left roof top. All images on the web of a person or persons in her eye are fake and have been produced using art or photo manipulation software.

http://a402.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/11...dufaay.png

There are no news reports of children being kidnapped or abducted after having played on this app either, neither are there any police reports of any such thing. There is one article about a child going missing on a web site called Huzlers, which is a website that posts fake news (there is a disclaimer on the website that tells you this). People who talk about there being a kidnapper or have heard about kids going missing are lying or are just simply too gullible for their own good.

Link to Huzlers fake news article...

http://huzlers.com/7-year-old-eli-moreno...ngela-app/

There is a plethora of websites and articles about this Talking Angela hoax all over the web, however there is a distinct lack of any proof that Talking Angela is a front for pedophiles or any such other nonsense. I have played the app myself and I can say with all honesty that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, and it will not compromise any private information that you have on your phone or tablet.

Here is a recent article that talks to the developer of Talking Angela if you are interested...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-576197...stery-q-a/

Sadly the reason as to why this hoax was started is a mystery, it has spread like wild fire purely by word of mouth. Most of it's negative attention is actually from kids, and we all know that kids love spreading lies and rumors. If you happen to read a lot of bad reviews or comments about this app then that person will often say "I've heard" but never speaks from first hand experience. At the end of the day, make your own mind up and use a little common sense.