How the U.S. Military Buys Location Data from Ordinary Apps | ASIO launches awareness campaign to warn Australians of spies on social media | Biden likely to remain tough on Chinese tech like Huawei
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A Muslim prayer app with over 98 million downloads is one of the apps connected to a wide-ranging supply chain that sends ordinary people's personal data to brokers, contractors, and the military. VICE
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) is warning of the dangers posed by foreign spies who use social networking sites to cultivate and groom potential targets in espionage operations. ABC
Biden is expected to maintain a hard line on most matters, including export restrictions to Huawei, though he will probably enlist more support from international allies and maintain more consistent policies than the ones Trump sometimes announced, and rescinded, via tweet, China watchers say. The Washington Post
ASPI ICPC
Mapping China's Tech Giants website Feedback
ASPI ICPC
We will soon begin the next phase of "Mapping China's Technology Giants". Part of this project will include updating the website. To ensure the website remains as useful to you and your organisation as possible, we would like to invite you to give us feedback on your use of our website. Your feedback is an important part of this process as it allows us to know what is working well, what we can improve on and what really matters to you. The feedback will take approximately two minutes.
See ASPI ICPC’s China Tech Giant’s map here.
Australia
WeChat group targets Beijing critics in academia
The Australian
The same Chinese-language WeChat group using the “power of the masses” to co-ordinate complaints against academics in a bid to overturn failed grades is behind campaigns against lecturers and researchers critical of Beijing.
ASIO launches first public awareness campaign to warn Australians of foreign spies on social media
ABC
@andrewbgreene
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) is warning of the dangers posed by foreign spies who use social networking sites to cultivate and groom potential targets in espionage operations.
China
Uniview Racist Uyghur Recognition Revealed
IPVM
@CharlesRollet1
Uniview, the PRC's third-largest video surveillance manufacturer and a major supplier of China police projects, has racist software used for tracking Uyghurs, IPVM has found. Uniview responded to IPVM but avoided explaining their Uyghur tracking software.
US
How the U.S. Military Buys Location Data from Ordinary Apps
VICE
@josephfcox
A Muslim prayer app with over 98 million downloads is one of the apps connected to a wide-ranging supply chain that sends ordinary people's personal data to brokers, contractors, and the military.
Biden likely to remain tough on Chinese tech like Huawei, but with more help from allies
The Washington Post
Biden is expected to maintain a hard line on most matters, including export restrictions to Huawei, though he will probably enlist more support from international allies and maintain more consistent policies than the ones Trump sometimes announced, and rescinded, via tweet, China watchers say. Biden is also expected to pursue more funding for basic research and ease some Trump-era restrictions on immigration of the highly skilled, to give the United States more resources to compete in the tech economy.
US software fuels China’s military research, despite Washington ban
South China Morning Post
Chinese military researchers are continuing to use US software – including for cutting-edge developments in hypersonic weapons technology – despite Washington’s efforts to restrict China’s access to these powerful design tools.
YouTube alternative Rumble highlights conservatives' move to more hands-off social networks
The Washington Post
@Cat_Zakrzewski
Conservatives frustrated with large social media companies are urging their fans and supporters to follow them to Rumble, an alternative to YouTube.
Liberal Chinese Americans Are Fighting Right-Wing WeChat Disinformation
Foreign Policy
The 2016 U.S. presidential election brought attention to right-wing Chinese Americans effectively using WeChat to spread strident and divisive messages, conspiracy theories, and disinformation among Chinese-language speakers.
Facebook Has A Rule To Stop Calls To Arms. Moderators Didn't Enforce It Ahead Of The Kenosha Shootings.
Buzzfeed News
@RMac18 @CraigSilverman
BuzzFeed News has learned, however, that Facebook also failed to enforce a separate year-old call to arms policy that specifically prohibited event pages from encouraging people to bring weapons to intimidate and harass vulnerable individuals. Three sources familiar with the company’s content moderation practices told BuzzFeed News that Facebook had not instructed third-party content moderators to enforce a part of its call to arms policy that was first established in June 2019.
Twitter names famed hacker 'Mudge' as head of security
Reuters
Social media giant Twitter, under increased threat of regulation and plagued by serious security breaches, is appointing one of the world's best-regarded hackers to tackle everything from engineering missteps to misinformation.
North Asia
Trojanized Security Software Hits South Korea Users in Supply-Chain Attack
The Hacker News
Cybersecurity researchers took the wraps off a novel supply chain attack in South Korea that abuses legitimate security software and stolen digital certificates to distribute remote administration tools (RATs) on target systems.
Digital Entanglement
Center for a New American Security
Lessons Learned from China’s Growing Digital Footprint in South Korea.
India
Cyberattacks up multi-fold in current environment: India's cyber security coordinator
The Economic Times
Referring to China as a major "challenge" from a cybersecurity perspective for India, National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt Gen (retd) Rajesh Pant on Monday said cyberattacks have gone up multifold in the current environment. Pant, who took over the role of India's cybersecurity chief, said every day, 4 lakh malware are found and 375 cyber-attacks are witnessed.
Europe
Middle East
Zoom censorship of Palestine seminars sparks fight over academic freedom
The Intercept
Zoom cited anti-terrorism laws to shut down an event with Palestinian activist Leila Khaled — and other events criticizing its censorship.
Misc
Apple wants privacy 'nutrition labels' on all new and updated apps in its software store from next month
The Register
Apple on Thursday advised developers they need to clarify the privacy practices of apps distributed through its App Store, a requirement previewed earlier this year.
Research
Podcast: Soft Power, Disinformation, and Censorship featuring Sarah Cook
China Uncovered
Olivia Enos interviews Sarah Cook on the Chinese Communist Party's use of soft power, disinformation, and censorship in its influence campaign. Sarah Cook is the Research Director for China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong at Freedom House.
Jobs
Senior Researcher / Project Lead
ASPI ICPC
ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre (ICPC) has an outstanding opportunity for a senior researcher to lead a one-year project looking at leadership networks across Asia. Interviews will start immediately.
Senior Strategic Communications Manager
ASPI
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has an outstanding opportunity for a highly experienced, strategic comms professional to contribute to the launch of a new, high profile global project. The Senior Strategic Communications Manager will be an integral member of a bespoke team that will liaise with the Australian government, foreign governments, industry and civil society to build up this exciting new project from scratch. The position will work closely with the Executive Director and the Institute’s International Cyber Policy Centre.