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DA’s warning about photo hiding app ‘Calculator%’ goes viral

Posted at 12:05 AM, Sep 04, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-04 00:13:12-04

BLOUNT COUNTY, Al. -- The app police have struck again. An Alabama prosecutor posted a warning for parents about a photo-hiding app for smartphones -- and her video went viral.

Pamela Casey, the district attorney for Blount County (population 58,000), published the warning on her office's Facebook page. It has attracted 1.4 million views since Tuesday.

Casey showed parents how to identify the app, Private Photo (Calculator%) on their children's smartphones. The app appears to be a simple calculator, but by punching in a code it can unlock a private photo album.

Pamela Casey, the district attorney for Blount County, Alabama, posted a warning for parents about a photo-hiding app for smartphones -- called Calculator% -- and her video went viral. Casey showed parents how to identify the app.

Pamela Casey, the district attorney for Blount County, Alabama, posted a warning for parents about a photo-hiding app for smartphones -- called Calculator% -- and her video went viral. Casey showed parents how to identify the app.

She urges parents in to look for Private Photo app on their children's phones and demand to know their password if they find it.

Previously, Casey made videos urging parents to talk to their children about the danger of sexting.

The app is actually one of several that set up private photo albums under the guise of a calculator. And of course Snapchat has become widely popular with its erasable photo messaging app.

Some of the comments on Casey's Facebook page suggested her warning is somewhat late to the game, although many other comments were from parents thanking her for the heads up.