TikTok vs. Forbes: How to Monitor U.S. Citizens in the Arms of a Multi-Scale Video App

TikTok is strongly pushing back against a Forbes report alleging that its parent company wanted to use the video app to “monitor the personal location of some specific American citizens.” TikTok accused Forbes of leaving off a vital part of its statement, which said that the company did not collect preciseGPS location information from US users.

The article, posted earlier on Thursday, said that ByteDance’s Internal Audit team — usually tasked with keeping an eye on those who currently work for the company or who have worked for the company in the past — planned on surveilling at least two Americans who “had never had an employment relationship with the company.” Forbes said its report was the result of materials it looked at but didn’t include any information about who was going to be tracked or why.

Ukrainian forces have shown resilience during the war against Russia and have been able to mount many attacks on Kremlin forces. The conflict is entering an ominous phase of drone warfare. Russia has begun launching attacks with Iranian “suicide drones” to cause damage that is difficult to defend against. With Russian president Vladimir Putin escalating his rhetoric about the potential for a nuclear strike, and NATO officials watching closely for any signs of movement, we examine what indicators are available to the global community in assessing whether Russia is actually preparing to use nuclear weapons.

How to Protect Your Privacy Against Attacks in the Age of Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Linked Social Networks: A Comprehensive Review of Recent Trends

Researchers have pointed out that Exchange Server isn’t getting the development resources it needs anymore, and customers should seriously consider moving to cloud email hosting. And new research examines how Wikipedia’s custodians ferret out state-sponsored disinformation campaigns in the crowdsourced encyclopedia’s entries.

Middle-of-the-pack groups like the Vice Society have maximized profits by not investing in technical innovation, which is why they’re at risk of getting attacked in the future, according to researchers. Instead, they simply run the most sparse and unremarkable operations they can to target under-funded sectors like health care and education. If you’re looking to do something for your personal security, we’ve got a guide to ditching passwords and setting up “passkeys” on Android and Google Chrome.

But wait, there’s more! Each week, we highlight the news we didn’t cover in-depth ourselves. Click on the headlines below to read the full stories. Stay safe.

The New Energy Star: Towards Digital Security Labels for the U.S. Internet of Things Consumers: The Ticktokbyte Danger America’s Data Security Roundup

Microsoft said this week that a misconfiguration exposed the data of some prospective customers of its cloud services. The leak was disclosed by researchers from the threat intelligence firm on September 24, and the exposure was quickly closed. SOCRadar said in a report that the exposed information stretched back to as far as 2017 and up to August of this year. More than 100,000 organizations from over 120 countries were linked to the data. Microsoft said the exposed details included names, company names, phone numbers, email addresses, email content, and files sent between potential customers and Microsoft or one of its authorized partners. Cloud misconfigurations are a longstanding security risk that have led to numerous exposures.

There are no easy solutions to improve the longstanding security dumpster fire caused by cheap, undefended internet of things devices in businesses around the world. But after years of problems, countries like Singapore and Germany have found that adding security labels to internet-connected video cameras, printers, toothbrushes, and more. The gold seal gives manufacturers an incentive to improve their practices and give consumers a better idea of the protections built into different devices. The US took a step towards this direction this week. The White House is working on a scheme that will be similar to Energystar for internet of things security. The administration held a summit this week to talk about standards for labels. There is a need for Americans to know that the technology they are buying in their homes is safe, and that retailers should be able to sell secured devices, according to the National Security Council.

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-bytedance-americans-data-security-roundup/

Internet Security Issues in the Light of Russia’s 2022 World Cup and the US-Russian Cybercrime against the State of the Art

According to The Washington Post, sources said documents seized by the FBI in Florida contained information relating to Iran’s nuclear program and the U.S. intelligence operations in China. Experts say that unauthorized disclosures would pose a number of risks. The Post said that people assisting the US intelligence efforts could be at risk. The information could cause others to retaliate against the US.

Open internet proponents were relieved last month when an American candidate beat a Russian challenger in an election to run the International Telecommunications Union, an important international standards body tasked with cross-boundary communications. We looked at the susceptibility of the internet infrastructure as well as the vulnerability of important cables.

Researchers see evidence that the US’s new legal climate for abortion access is promoting a culture of community surveillance, a hallmark of authoritarian states in which neighbors and friends are encouraged to report possible wrongdoing. Around the world soccer stadiums are being monitored more and more. The eight stadiums in use during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, for example, will be packed with more than 15,000 cameras to monitor spectators and to conduct biometric scanning.

The more secure, “memory safe” programming language Rust is making inroads across the tech industry, offering hope that a massive swath of common vulnerabilities could eventually be preempted and eliminated. We have put together a list of the most important vulnerabilities you can patch right now.

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-eu-privacy-policy-security-roundup/

The Jack Dorsey-led Block Inc. Cash App hasn’t helped fuel sex trafficking and the Ncm Missing and Exploited Children

Liz is going through a tough time. After her short stint as the UK prime minister, it was reported that her personal phone was hacked by agents from Russia. The Russian operatives were able to intercept messages from Truss and other officials in other countries. The Mail report further claims that former prime minister Boris Johnson and cabinet secretary Simon Case suppressed the breach. Labor Party officials are calling for an investigation into their Conservative foes, even as the breach remains unconfirmed. “There are immensely important national security issues raised by an attack like this by a hostile state which will have been taken extremely seriously by our intelligence and security agencies,” Labor Party shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said last weekend. “There are also serious security questions around why and how this information has been leaked or released right now, which must also be urgently investigated.”

Another of Jack Dorsey’s corporate creations is facing new heat this week. According to a Forbes investigation, the Cash App is helping fuel sex trafficking in the US and elsewhere. The Cash App was used in sex trafficking and other crimes according to police records and claims by former Cash App employees. The company, which is owned by Dorsey-led Block Inc., maintains that it “does not tolerate illegal activity on Cash App” and has staff dedicated to working with law enforcement. Meanwhile, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says that although rival payment platforms like PayPal provide the the center with tips about potential child abuse facilitated by their services, Forbes writes, “Block hasn’t provided any tips, ever.”

The US Treasury Department said this week that US financial institutions were responsible for almost a billion dollars in ransomware payments in the next two years. The report landed amid an international White House summit aiming to combat the rise of ransomware, a type of malware that allows attackers to encrypt a target’s files and hold them for ransom until the victim pays. ranware, including attacks perpetrated by Russian-linked actors, remain a serious threat to our national and economic security, the acting director of the Treasury Departments Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said. While $1.2 billion in payments is already painful enough, the number does not take into account the costs and other financial consequences that come with a ransomware attack outside of the payment itself.

Bringing Back the Fox News: How Social Media Has Been Formed to Protect against Foreign Adversaries: A Reply to TikTok

“It’s playing to the Fox News crowd,” a person close to TikTok, who requested anonymity because they were not publicly authorized to speak on the matter, said on Tuesday. Many lawmakers are expressing concern about China’s influence by having Chinese-made iPhones, according to a person.

The legislation would prohibit transactions in the United States by social media companies with more than one million monthly users that are based in countries that are considered foreign adversaries, like Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba.

Cox said that the administration takes security threats from China seriously. All state owned devices will be banning TikTok immediately.

The negotiations with the US government for a potential deal to address national security concerns and allow the TikTok app’s continued use in the US have been going on for years.

We will continue to brief members of congress on plans that have been developed under the oversight of our country’s top security agencies, so that we can further secure our platform.

A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. Sign up for the daily digest chronicling the evolving media landscape here.

Some of the lawmakers’ concerns have to with location tracking services, which they fear could be used for espionage. When it comes to social media apps, location tracking is a standard feature.

The Senate passed a bill that provides exceptions for certain activities.

Do Social Media Users Need to Know About Russia? An Analysis of TikTok, the CFIUS Committee, and the CFBIS Deliberations

TikTok is used by more than 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. alone, and its ability to create instant viral hits has put it at the forefront of internet culture, though concerns about data security have long dogged the app.

On March 10, two weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House convened a Zoom call with 30 prominent TikTok creators. Jen Psaki, then a White House press secretary, and members of the National Security Council briefed the creators, who together had tens of millions of followers, on the latest news from the conflict. The previous summer the White House came up with a plan to get young people to get vaccine against Covid.

National security specialists say China-based businesses usually have to give unfettered access to the regime if necessary, even if the company denies it would ever be used for such a purpose.

Most drastic measures have not advanced since the efforts lacked political will or courts stopped them, so the ban is anIncremental restriction.

“I think some concern about TikTok is warranted,” said Julian McAuley, a professor of computer science at the University of California San Diego, who noted that the main difference between TikTok and other social media apps is that TikTok is much more driven by user-specific recommendations.

Sameer Patil, a professor at the University of Utah who studies user privacy online, said that there is no easy way to determine the extent to which ByteDance’s claims are true.

While social media companies harvest tons of data about users, I think they’re usually focused on users on an individual basis.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFBIS) began examining TikTok during the Trump administration and is still looking into it.

There is a possibility that the committee is satisfied with the steps that TikTok has taken to make sure that there is no illegal data flowing between the US and China.

Behind closed doors, the deliberations of CFIUS are notoriously secretive. It is not clear when the committee might finish its investigation, nor is it known which way it is leaning.

Why the Proposed tiktok-Ban is More About Politics Than Privacy According to Exp. Senator Marco Rubio and Rep. Ryan Calo

Nebraska has had a ban in place since 2020, which covers all state devices. So has the Florida Department of Financial Services. Louisiana and West Virginia each announced partial bans.

This is in part because Byte Dance is required by Chinese law to assist the government, which could include sharing user data from anywhere in the world.

“There is no more time to waste on meaningless negotiations with the company,” said Senator Marco Rubio in a statement. It is time to stop Beijing from controlling TikTok.

“It certainly makes sense, then, for U.S. soldiers to be told, ‘Hey, don’t use the app because it might share your location information with other entities,” said Chander. “But that’s also true of the weather app and then lots of other apps that are existing in your phone, whether they’re owned by China or not.”

Ryan Calo is a professor of law and information science at the University of Washington. He says that, while data privacy in the United States still needs much improvement, the proposed legislation is more about geopolitical tensions and less about TikTok specifically.

The Chinese intelligence sector probably wouldn’t have to go through TikTok if they wanted to get information on employees in the United States.

“It’s always easy – and this happens across the world – to say that a foreign government is a threat, and ‘I’m protecting you from that foreign government,’ he says. “And I think we should be a little cautious about how that can be politicized in a way that far exceeds the actual threat in order to achieve political ends.”

Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/12/22/1144745813/why-the-proposed-tiktok-ban-is-more-about-politics-than-privacy-according-to-exp

TikTok: Why China should not be a Cyber-Knee-Catalyst in the U.S.

Even if TikTok were to be banned there would be First Amendment concerns because of the political traction that would come with it. But Calo believes the conversation could push policy in a positive direction for Americans.

“I think it’s time for us to think about the consequences of having so much commercial suspicion taking place of us in the US,” he said. “And we should do something to address it, but not in this ad hoc posturing way, but by passing comprehensive privacy rules or laws, which is something that, for example, the Federal Trade Commission seems very interested in doing.”

Tech giant CEOs have visited Capitol Hill in the past to make arguments on the threat of Chinese competition. They rely on the assistance of trade associations and advertising to make the case against big legislative threats to their business.

In recent years, the tech industry’s largest players have faced allegations. From knee-capping nascent rivals; to harming children and mental health; to undermining democracy; to spreading hate speech and harassment; to censoring conservative viewpoints; to bankrupting local news outlets; Big Tech has been made out as one of Washington’s largest villains.

There is no evidence yet that this has actually happened. Still, policymakers and security experts have said China’s national security laws make it a possibility — identifying a kernel of risk that fits into a broader anti-China narrative linked to issues including trade, human rights and authoritarianism. Those concerns were renewed after a report this year suggested US user data had been repeatedly accessed by China-based employees. TikTok did not agree with the report.

The ByteDance lobbying campaign is progressing through the government negotiations: How big are the biggest tech companies, Google and Meta?

A lot of the concerns are overblown, but Beckerman believes that the problems can be solved through the government negotiations.

ByteDance had 17 lobbyists and spent $270,000 on lobbying in the year 2019, according to public records gathered by OpenSecrets. By the end of last year, its lobbyist count had more than doubled and the company had spent nearly $5.2 million on lobbying.

Last year, Meta spent $20 million on internet industry lobbying. Next was Amazon at $21 million, followed by google at around $10 million. The parent of TikTok spent less than 1 percent of that amount on lobbying, ranking at number four on the list.

One of the bills would block Amazon from competing with third-party sellers on its own marketplace, preventing it from competing against other tech platforms for business. The legislation was the result of a lengthy investigation into the tech industry that concluded that many of the biggest tech companies were effectively monopolies.

For a brief moment this month, lawmakers seemed poised to pass a bill that could force Meta, Google and other platforms to pay news organizations a larger share of ad revenues. The legislation fell through after Meta warned that it might have to stop providing news content if the bill passed.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/22/tech/washington-tiktok-big-tech/index.html

Sensitivities to Section 230 of the Communications Deceit Act: An Update from TechCIO TikTok CEO Vanessa Pappas

Time and again, Silicon Valley’s biggest players have maneuvered expertly in Washington, defending their turf from lawmakers keen to knock them down a peg.

In contrast, decisions about the rules the government might impose on tech platforms has called into question how those rules might affect a variety of parts of the economy from small businesses to individual users.

In some cases, as with proposals to revise the tech industry’s decades-old content moderation liability shield, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, legislation may raise First Amendment issues as well as partisan divisions. Section 230 of the Communications Deceit act is being called into question by democrats, who say it should be changed because it gives social media companies a reason to leave hate speech and offensive content untouched. Republicans want to change the law to make it harder for platforms to remove less offensive content

The technical challenges of regulating an entire sector of technology, and cross-cutting politics, make it very difficult for lawmakers to reach an accord.

“It’s really important to establishing a Republican brand. A key tenets of what divides Republicans now are taking a strong stance and standing up to China according to the University of California San Diego professor.

The Energy and Commerce Committee confirmed the hearing in a press release Monday announcing that the TikTok chief would testify on March 23rd. TikTok chief operating officer Vanessa Pappas has testified before a congressional committee as recently as last September, but this upcoming hearing will be the first time a chief executive of the company has been hauled to Capitol Hill to face questioning.

Earlier this month, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was reportedly considering offering a bill to ban a broader “category of applications” that could be applied to other apps that pose security risks, according to Axios.