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Category: CybersecurityUpdate

CybersecurityUpdate

  • Senator Markey and Rep. Lieu Reintroduce Cyber Shield Act, Target IoT Security

    Senator Markey and Rep. Lieu Reintroduce Cyber Shield Act, Target IoT Security

    Senator Edward J. Markey and Congressman Ted W. Lieu have reintroduced the Cyber Shield Act legislation to tackle Internet of Things (IoT) security.

    The Cyber Shield Act will create a voluntary certification program for IoT devices, ensuring they meet a certain security standard. The installed base of IoT devices is expected to hit 75.44 billion by 2025. Those devices include baby monitors, smart locks, cameras, home assistants, cell phones, laptops and much more.

    Unfortunately, it’s estimated that 98% of IoT data is unencrypted, leaving important data vulnerable to attack. IoT security is also one of the leading issues the enterprise faces, with 50% listing security and data privacy as their top concern.

    The Cyber Shield Act attempts to address those issues by establishing an advisory committee of cybersecurity experts from a wide range of industries. The committee will establish cybersecurity benchmarks for the myriad of IoT devices, giving the industry a clear goal and set of parameters to work within.

    The legislation would also allow for a “Cyber Shield” badge that certified products could display, serving as a way for consumers to make educated choices about what devices to purchase.

    “The IoT will also stand for the Internet of Threats until we put in place appropriate cybersecurity safeguards,” said Senator Markey. “With as many as 75 billion IoT devices projected to be in our pockets and homes by 2025, cybersecurity continues to pose a direct threat to economic prosperity, personal privacy, and global security. By creating a cybersecurity certification program, the Cyber Shield Act will give consumers a seal of approval for more secure products, as well as encourage manufacturers to adopt the best cybersecurity practices so they can compete in the marketplace for safety. I thank Congressman Lieu for his partnership on this essential legislation.”

    “Championing innovation is important, because technological advancement can make our lives easier and more efficient. But, for every smart refrigerator or wifi-enabled baby monitor, there comes increased cybersecurity risks that make consumers vulnerable to hacking and invasions of privacy. As we connect more parts of our lives to the internet, we have to make sure we’re doing it safely. That’s where Sen. Markey and my Cyber Shield Act comes in,” said Representative Lieu. “By creating a voluntary program allowing IoT manufacturers to certify the security of their devices, we’re encouraging the idea that cybersecurity should be top of mind for industry and consumers alike. It’s a great solution to an ever-increasing problem, and I’m grateful to have Sen. Markey as a partner on this bill.”

    A copy of the legislation can be viewed here (PDF).

  • Mozilla Improves Privacy by Trimming HTTP Referrer

    Mozilla Improves Privacy by Trimming HTTP Referrer

    Mozilla has announced a significant change to how Firefox handles HTTP Referrers, in an effort to improve user privacy.

    The HTTP Referrer is header information browsers send to the current website, informing it what website “referred” it. In other words, the current website knows the last website the browser came from.

    In many cases, the referrer information is used in harmless ways, but it can be abused to gain access to private information. Because the referrer information includes the specific page a person was previously looking at, in can help a website better understand a visitor’s interests. It can also include a user’s account information from the website they came from.

    Mozilla is now trimming the referrer information in an effort to better protect user privacy.

    Starting with Firefox 87, we set the default Referrer Policy to ‘strict-origin-when-cross-origin’ which will trim user sensitive information accessible in the URL. As illustrated in the example above, this new stricter referrer policy will not only trim information for requests going from HTTPS to HTTP, but will also trim path and query information for all cross-origin requests. With that update Firefox will apply the new default Referrer Policy to all navigational requests, redirected requests, and subresource (image, style, script) requests, thereby providing a significantly more private browsing experience.

    Mozilla’s announcement is a welcome one, as the company continues to be a leading advocate for user privacy.

  • FCC Banning Three Chinese Wireless Carriers

    FCC Banning Three Chinese Wireless Carriers

    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking action to ban three Chinese wireless carriers: China Unicom, Pacific Networks and ComNet.

    The US has been banning multiple Chinese firms, especially in the telecommunications space. Officials have accused the companies of being a threat to national security and consumer privacy as a result of their ties to Beijing.

    In two separate statements about the three wireless carriers, the FCC used the same language, saying all three companies “are indirectly and ultimately owned and controlled by the government of the People’s Republic of China.” China Unicom, as well as Pacific Networks and its subsidiary, ComNet, were all asked last year to make a case as to why they don’t pose a threat and shouldn’t be banned.

    “In 2019, when we blocked China Mobile USA from entering the U.S. market based on national security concerns, I said it was time for a top to bottom review of every telecom carrier with ties to the communist regime in China,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr. “Many of these firms were authorized to operate in the U.S. decades ago and the security threats have evolved substantially in the intervening years. With that type of review in mind, the FCC opened investigations into several carriers—including the carriers at issue here, China Unicom Americas, Pacific Networks, and ComNet. We have provided them with the process necessary for the FCC to identify and eliminate any threats they may pose to America’s national security.

    “These three carriers provided incomplete and inconsistent responses that failed to address these threats and in turn raised fresh concerns about their ability to follow FCC rules. The Executive Branch agencies with responsibility for national security reviews have echoed these concerns and advise that traffic on these networks ‘remains subject to exploitation, influence, and control by the Chinese government.’ I therefore agree with the Commission’s determination today. The potential national security threats posed by these carriers requires the FCC to initiate revocation proceedings.”

    Any hope Chinese companies had of being under less scrutiny with the Biden administration appears to be fading fast.

  • DuckDuckGo Calls Out Google’s Apps For Spying On Users

    DuckDuckGo Calls Out Google’s Apps For Spying On Users

    DuckDuckGo is mincing no words in calling out Google’s apps for spying on users and not respecting their privacy.

    Google drew widespread criticism for taking months to roll out updates to its iOS apps after Apple introduced privacy labels in the App Store. The new feature is designed to let users know exactly what personal information an app collects and tracks. Google has only recently updated many of its apps, after dragging its feet for months after privacy labels went live.

    DuckDuckGo is calling the company to task for what Chrome and the Google app privacy labels reveals about Google’s data collection.

    Google is already facing increased backlash for its privacy practices, including a lawsuit that claims the company continues to track people even when Chrome’s Incognito Mode is enabled.

    Users who truly value privacy should migrate away from Google’s apps sooner rather than later.

  • Dropbox Passwords Going Free As LastPass Cripples Free Version

    Dropbox Passwords Going Free As LastPass Cripples Free Version

    Dropbox has announced it is making Dropbox Passwords free to all users, providing a valuable password management option when it’s needed most.

    Dropbox first introduced Dropbox Passwords last year to paid users. The company is now making it available to all users, including those with a free storage plan. The service uses zero-knowledge encryption, meaning that Dropbox cannot see or decipher the stored passwords.

    Most significantly, Dropbox’s service works across all compatible devices, filling an important need in the market. LastPass is a popular password manager, allowing users to sync their passwords across devices. Last month, however, the company announced it was restricting its free tier on a platform basis. Users can choose to use it on their computers or their mobile devices, but not both without upgrading to a paid plan.

    Dropbox’s service does have a couple of restrictions to the free tier. The free plan can only be used to store 50 passwords, and will only sync across three devices. Nonetheless, those restrictions are far better than the ones LastPass imposes.

  • China Is Blocking Signal

    China Is Blocking Signal

    It appears encrypted messaging app Signal is being blocked by China, with users needing to use a VPN to connect.

    Signal is one of the most popular encrypted messaging apps, and widely considered to be the most secure. The US Senate, the EU Commission and some US military units recommend their members use the app, thanks to the level of security it offers.

    According to a report in The Washington Post, it appears China is actively blocking the app, with users reporting they need to use a VPN to be able to access the service. China has a well-documented history of blocking and censoring various apps and services, so much so that “The Great Firewall of China” has come to refer to China’s efforts in this regard. Google, Twitter and Facebook are similarly blocked.

    Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied the reports, saying he was “not aware of the situation,” according to WP.

    “What I can tell you is that as a principle, China’s internet is open, and the Chinese government manages internet-related affairs according to law and regulations,” Zhao said.

    Signal has yet to address the situation publicly.

  • Even Beer Is Threatened by Cyberattacks As Coors Shuts Down Production

    Even Beer Is Threatened by Cyberattacks As Coors Shuts Down Production

    Molson Coors has announced in a regulatory filing that it halted its brewery operations as a result of a cyberattack — just when things were starting to look up.

    Cyberattacks have become a common occurrence across industries, with new ones reported almost daily. Unfortunately, the threat has reached a new low, impacting the nation’s beer supply.

    In a regulatory filing, the company says it suffered an attack on March 11, and is working around the clock to get its systems running again.

    Although the Company is actively managing this cybersecurity incident, it has caused and may continue to cause a delay or disruption to parts of the Company’s business, including its brewery operations, production, and shipments.

    Molson Coors doesn’t provide a timeline when operations will be up and running, but its predicament emphasizes that no companies are safe from cybersecurity threats.

  • Biden Administration Tightens the Screws on Huawei

    Biden Administration Tightens the Screws on Huawei

    Any hopes Huawei had of the Biden administration easing up on restrictions were dashed, as the new administration is doubling down.

    The Trump administration took a hard stance against the Chinese telecommunications firm, claiming it was a threat to national security. The US ultimately banned Huawei, and engaged in a determined effort to convince allies to do the same, many of whom followed suit. Intelligence agencies around the world joined in, calling Huawei a security threat.

    Throughout it all, Huawei has continued to maintain its innocence and claim to be the victim of unfair persecution. Some critics have also wondered if the company truly posed the threat the administration and intelligence agencies claimed, or if the restrictions were merely part of the Trump administration’s trade war against China. As a result, Huawei hoped a change in administration would bring a more favorable climate.

    It appears those hopes were unfounded, as the Biden administration has imposed further restrictions, according to Reuters, modifying existing licenses that permitted some companies to do business with the Chinese firm. The administration is adding additional limitations to what components companies can sell to Huawei, specifically components that can be used for 5G.

    In particular, the new restrictions are aimed at bringing older licenses, that were more lenient, in line with the more stringent restrictions the Trump administration later imposed, essentially ending the “grandfathered” status of the older licenses.

    Huawei has already been reeling from the sanctions and restrictions, forcing it to consider alternative businesses. It now appears things are poised to get even worse.

  • TikTok Draws Scrutiny and Warning From EU

    TikTok Draws Scrutiny and Warning From EU

    TikTok is once again under scrutiny for its data practices, with the EU warning that some data may be making its way to China.

    TikTok claims that EU user data is sent to the US, not China. But according to the EU, some of that data may be accessible to engineers based in China, reports Bloomberg.

    “TikTok tells us that EU data is transferred to the U.S. and not to China, however we have understood that there is possibility that maintenance and AI engineers in China may be accessing data,” said Helen Dixon, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner.

    The claim is the latest in a long string of privacy issues the social media company has faced. The most recent saw the company settle a lawsuit for some $92 million. TikTok’s privacy practices also led the Trump administration to try to ban the app, although it’s unclear if the Biden administration will continue pursuing those efforts.

  • Intel and Microsoft Working For DARPA On Usable Homomorphic Encryption

    Intel and Microsoft Working For DARPA On Usable Homomorphic Encryption

    Intel and Microsoft are working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a usable form of homomorphic encryption.

    Homomorphic encryption is considered the holy grail of encryption. With standard options, data is encrypted when stored and in transit, but it must be decrypted to manipulate.

    In contrast, homomorphic encryption keeps all values encrypted, even when in use. For example, two numerical values encrypted with homomorphic encryption could be given to a third party, added together and returned. All values, including the calculated sum, would remain encrypted the entire time, with only the originator able to decrypt them. Homomorphic encryption would be a significant upgrade over current methods.

    Fully homomorphic encryption remains the holy grail in the quest to keep data secure while in use. Despite strong advances in trusted execution environments and other confidential computing technologies to protect data while at rest and in transit, data is unencrypted during computation, opening the possibility of potential attacks at this stage. This frequently inhibits our ability to fully share and extract the maximum value out of data. We are pleased to be chosen as a technology partner by DARPA and look forward to working with them as well as Microsoft to advance this next chapter in confidential computing and unlock the promise of fully homomorphic encryption for all. – Rosario Cammarota, principal engineer, Intel Labs, and principal investigator, DARPA DPRIVE program

    With ongoing cybersecurity threats, and an increased reliance on the cloud homomorphic encryption could be a valuable tool in the fight to keep data secure.

    We are pleased to bring our expertise in cloud computing and homomorphic encryption to the DARPA DPRIVE program, collaborating with Intel to advance this transformative technology when ready into commercial usages that will help our customers close the last-mile gap in data confidentiality —– keeping data fully secure and private, whether in storage, transit or use. – Dr. William Chappell, chief technology officer, Azure Global, and vice president, Mission Systems, Microsoft.

  • Okta Buying Competitor Auth0 For $6.5 Billion

    Okta Buying Competitor Auth0 For $6.5 Billion

    Okta has announced it is buying Auth0, in a deal worth an estimated $6.5 billion.

    Okta is an identity and access management firm, specializing in helping companies and developers build identity security into their products. Founded in 2009, the company has become a leader in the industry, and boasts some of the biggest companies in the world as its customers.

    Auth0 is one of Okta’s biggest competitors, and also specializes in secure access solutions. Like Okta, Auth0 has some of the biggest names in business as its clients.

    The merger will help accelerate Okta’s growth in the $55 billion identity market. Auth0 will operate as an independent unit within Okta and both platforms will be supported, although the goal is to integrate them over time.

    “Combining Auth0’s developer-centric identity solution with the Okta Identity Cloud will drive tremendous value for both current and future customers,” said Todd McKinnon, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Okta. “In an increasingly digital world, identity is the unifying means by which we use technology — both at work and in our personal lives. With so much at stake for businesses today, it’s critical that we deliver trusted customer-facing identity solutions. Okta’s and Auth0’s shared vision for the identity market, rooted in customer success, will accelerate our innovation, opening up new ways for our customers to leverage identity to meet their business needs. We are thrilled to join forces with the Auth0 team, as they are ideal allies in building identity for the internet and establishing identity as a primary cloud.”

    The deal is subject to regulatory approval and expected to close the quarter ending July 31, 2021.

  • Linux Mint May Resort to Windows 10-Style Forced Updates

    Linux Mint May Resort to Windows 10-Style Forced Updates

    Linux Mint is considering measures to keep users up-to-date, including Windows 10-style forced updates.

    Linux Mint is a popular, community-driven distribution (distro) based on Ubuntu. Unfortunately, like users of other operating systems (OS), many Linux Mint users are slow to update, both applications and the OS itself.

    In a blog post detailing the problem, the Linux Mint teams notes that only 30% of users updated to the latest version of their web browser in less than a week. Similarly, while acknowledging it is hard to get an exact figure, between 5% and 30% of users are running Linux 17.x.

    0% of users should run Linux Mint 17.x! Anything above is not good, whether it’s 5% or 30%.

    Linux Mint 17.x reached EOL (End-Of-Life) in April 2019. In other words it stopped receiving security updates for almost 2 years now!

    In another blog post, posted Sunday, the Linux Mint team discusses some of the options on the table, including forced updates.

    In some cases the Update Manager will be able to remind you to apply updates. In a few of them it might even insist. We don’t want it to be dumb and get in your way though. It’s here to help. If you are handling things your way, it will detect smart patterns and usages. It will also be configurable and let you change the way it’s set up.

    It remains to be seen how the community will respond. Forced updates have been one of Windows 10’s most unpopular features. The Linux Mint team may be playing with fire venturing into forced update territory.

  • TikTok Settles Privacy Suit For $92 Million

    TikTok Settles Privacy Suit For $92 Million

    TikTok has agreed to pay $92 million to settle a lawsuit in the US over its privacy practices.

    TikTok quickly rose to be one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, and was the first Chinese app to gain its level of worldwide success. With that success, however, came greater a degree of scrutiny. The app has repeatedly been accused of violating child privacy, uploading videos to China without user consent and being a threat to national security.

    The company has settled a lawsuit filed by TikTok users in the U.S. District Court in Illinois. Illinois has already established itself as a privacy haven, with Facebook recently settling a lawsuit filed against it in the state.

    “While we disagree with the assertions, rather than go through lengthy litigation, we’d like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community,” TikTok said Thursday, according to NBC News.

    The settlement requires court approval.

  • Want the Best Android Support? Buy Samsung, Not Google

    Want the Best Android Support? Buy Samsung, Not Google

    Google may have created Android, but customers wanting the best Android support should take a look at Samsung.

    Samsung has just announced it is extending its Android support for Galaxy devices, promising a full four years of security updates after release. The company also touted Samsung Knox, its enterprise-grade security solution. Samsung claims to have the most secure embedded security chip, the Secure Element (eSE). The eSE helps protect the contents of the phone from physical attacks, should it be lost or stolen.

    “At Samsung, our number one priority is offering the best and most secure mobile experience to our users, and we’re constantly optimizing the security of our products and services,” said Seungwon Shin, VP & Head of Security Team at Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “Mobile devices play such an important role in our lives, it’s only natural that we want to hold onto them longer. That’s why, thanks to the latest technology advancements, we’re committing to securing Galaxy devices for even longer, so that everything that should be kept protected stays protected.”

    It’s hard to image that Google won’t match Samsung’s announcement. If it does, Samsung’s decision will end up benefiting customers of both companies, not just its own.

  • Firefox Introduces Total Cookie Protection

    Firefox Introduces Total Cookie Protection

    The latest release of Mozilla’s Firefox includes a significant privacy upgrade, introducing Total Cookie Protection.

    Cookies are snippets of code that websites use to identify users. They are responsible for a number of useful features, such as the ability to revisit a site and access personalized information without needing to log in again. Cookies can also be used to track users, however, including by companies that use them to track users across other websites.

    In 2019, Firefox introduced Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP), which blocks cookies from known trackers. Today’s announcement takes it a step further with Total Cookie Protection.

    Our new feature, Total Cookie Protection, works by maintaining a separate “cookie jar” for each website you visit. Any time a website, or third-party content embedded in a website, deposits a cookie in your browser, that cookie is confined to the cookie jar assigned to that website, such that it is not allowed to be shared with any other website.

    This is an important feature that will go a long way toward protecting user privacy and ensuring cookies aren’t abused as a way of tracking users.

  • Mystery Malware Found On M1 and Intel Macs

    Mystery Malware Found On M1 and Intel Macs

    A new malware discovered on some 30,000 Macs — both Intel and Apple’s M1 variety — has researchers stumped.

    Malware is a relatively rare thing in the Mac community. For decades, the Mac enjoyed “security through obscurity,” meaning that its low market share made it a low-priority target for most hackers. In addition, macOS is based on UNIX, giving it relatively secure underpinnings. Apple has also taken a number of major steps to further harden macOS, all of which make it a very secure operating system (OS).

    Nonetheless, researchers at Red Canary have discovered two variants of a macOS malware they have dubbed “Silver Sparrow.” According to the researchers, the only real difference between the two variants is that one targets Intel-based Macs exclusively, while the second is a universal binary, meaning it is compiled to run on Intel and M1-based Macs.

    The latter is especially significant, since Apple’s custom M1 chip is based on Arm designs, and is essentially a desktop-class version of the chip used in the iPhone and iPad. As of the time of writing, Silver Sparrow has infected some 29,139 Macs in 153 countries. High numbers of infected machines were found in the US, UK, Canada, France and Germany.

    What’s even more suspicious, however, is there doesn’t appear to be a payload in the malware. A payload is the final goal the malware is programmed with, such as locking files for ransom, deleting files, stealing information, etc. With Silver Sparrow, researchers have yet to find its payload. They know the malware checks every hour to see what new content its creators want it to download but, as of yet, no payload has been downloaded by the infected machines.

    “After observing the malware for over a week, neither we nor our research partners observed a final payload, leaving the ultimate goal of Silver Sparrow activity a mystery,” writes Red Canary’s Tony Lambert.

    Red Canary also found the malware was “distributed through malicious advertisements as single, self-contained installers in PKG or DMG form, masquerading as a legitimate application—such as Adobe Flash Player—or as updates,” adds Lambert. “In this case, however, the adversary distributed the malware in two distinct packages: updater.pkg and update.pkg.”

    It remains to be seen what the ultimate goal of Silver Sparrow’s creators is. In the meantime, macOS users should update their antivirus software and check out Red Canary’s blog for detection and mitigation information.

  • Huawei Will Cut Smartphone Shipments by More Than 60% in 2021

    Huawei Will Cut Smartphone Shipments by More Than 60% in 2021

    Huawei has informed suppliers that it will cut smartphone shipments by at least 60% in 2021.

    The Trump administration banned the Chinese company from participating in US networks, and pressured its allies to do the same. Government and intelligence officials around the world have cited the security risk Huawei poses, given its close ties with Beijing and the Chinese intelligence community. The company has been banned from one country after another, cut off from its smartphone chip suppliers and dropped to the third-place smartphone company, behind Samsung and Apple.

    According to Nikkei, the company is only securing enough components to ship 70 to 80 million smartphones in 2021, down from the 189 million it shipped in 2020.

    The company’s woes even forced it to sell off its Honor brand of budget phones, but it remains hopeful things will turn around for its flagship line.

    The company was pinning its hopes on the Biden administration taking a software stance and lifting the restrictions. So far, however, it appears the new administration has no intention of changing direction, leaving Huawei with little recourse.

  • TikTok Runs Afoul of European Consumer Law

    TikTok Runs Afoul of European Consumer Law

    TikTok has found itself in trouble with the European Consumer Organisation BEUC, as a result of multiple infractions against EU consumer laws.

    TikTok has faced repeated criticism for breaches of privacy, especially in regard to the privacy of minor children. The company has also faced ongoing criticism, scrutiny and lawsuits over its privacy practices in general.

    The latest troubles come from the EU, as TikTok is accused of violating several EU consumer laws, according to the BEUC, including a failure to properly protect children.

    The BEUC’s investigation found that a number of TikTok’s ‘Terms of Service’ were unfair, ambiguous and favoring TikTok to users’ detriment. The same is true of the company’s copyright terms, which give TikTok “an irrevocable right to use, distribute and reproduce the videos published by users, without remuneration.”

    The BEUC took issue with how TikTok administers the coins people can purchase to reward their favorite content creators, retaining too much control over exchange rates.

    The company’s handling of user data is also misleading, with TikTok not properly informing users — especially children — of how and why their data is being collected and how it’s being used.

    Most egregiously, the company is failing to protect children and minors from potentially harmful content and and hidden advertising.

    The BEUC wants “authorities to launch a comprehensive investigation into TikTok’s policies and practices and to ensure that TikTok respects EU consumer rights. The company should properly inform consumers about its business model and data processing activities and stop imposing unfair terms and practices on its users. TikTok should also stop keeping its users in the dark about the financial consequences of buying virtual gifts for their favourite idols and improve the fairness of this service. In particular children and teenagers, who form an important part of Tik Tok’s audience must be adequately protected regarding their exposure to marketing, hidden advertising and inappropriate content.”

    Given the EU’s strong privacy and consumer legislation, TikTok’s run of fast and loose privacy practices is likely coming to an end.

  • Google Flags Its Own iOS Apps As Out-of-Date

    Google Flags Its Own iOS Apps As Out-of-Date

    In an embarrassing glitch, Google’s servers flagged its own apps as out-of-date because…they are.

    Apple is requiring app updates to include a privacy label, clearly indicating what data is collected and connected to the user. Facebook drew intense criticism when it updated its apps and disclosed just how much data it collected and tracked. Meanwhile, Google has not updated the bulk of its apps in months, with many believing it’s trying to avoid the flack Facebook experienced. The company has claimed that’s not the case, but the evidence would suggest otherwise.

    The company’s apps are now so out-of-date that Google’s own servers started informing people and suggesting they upgrade to a new version. There’s just one minor issue — there are no newer versions.

    First spotted by Techmeme editor Spencer Dailey, Gmail, Google Photos and Google Maps all popped up a notification informing users they needed to upgrade (demonstrated in his video below). The issue appears to have been a server-side glitch, as users are no longer receiving the error even though the apps haven’t been updated. Google likely made a server-side change to disable the notification.

    Whatever the case, the notification is an embarrassment for Google and continues to undermine its claim that it is not trying to avoid Apple’s privacy labels. The company needs to update its apps immediately, providing clarity and transparency about what data it does and does not collect.

  • Biden Administration Reviewing WeChat Ban

    Biden Administration Reviewing WeChat Ban

    The Biden administration is reviewing an attempted ban of WeChat, amid a broader review of the previous administration’s actions against Chinese platforms.

    WeChat was one of a number of Chinese services the Trump administration tried to ban. Ultimately, a judge blocked the ban, in large part because of how important the app is to the Chinese community abroad.

    “WeChat is effectively the only means of communication for many in the community, not only because China bans other apps, but also because Chinese speakers with limited English proficiency have no options other than WeChat,” wrote U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in her order, according to NPR. She also likened WeChat to “a virtual public square for the Chinese-speaking and Chinese-American community.”

    The Biden administration has been reviewing the actions taken against the various Chinese companies that the Trump administration accused of being a threat to national security. The current administration wants to make sure the purported threats warranted the actions taken.

    According to ABC News, that includes reviewing the attempted ban against WeChat, just a day after the administration put a hold on the attempted TikTok ban. The announcement is good news for the Chinese-American community who rely on WeChat as a communication lifeline to friends and family in China.

  • Oracle’s TikTok Purchase On Hold Indefinitely

    Oracle’s TikTok Purchase On Hold Indefinitely

    Oracle’s bid to purchase TikTok, in conjunction with Walmart, is on hold indefinitely as a result of the change in administration.

    The Trump administration aggressively went after a number of Chinese companies, including Huawei, ZTE, Xiaomi and TikTok, accusing them of being a threat to national security. The administration instituted bans against the first three, and was in the process of banning TikTok unless it could arrange for a US buyer to take over its operations.

    Oracle emerged as the winning candidate, along with help from Walmart, but the deal got caught up in red tape and disputesover how much control Oracle would actually have. Ultimately, even TikTok was left wondering about its fate, with a judge effectively granting it a stay of execution in the form a temporary injunction against the ban The judge also questioned whether the administration had the authority to ban the app in the first place.

    The Biden administration is currently reviewing the previous administration’s actions regarding various Chinese companies, and that has put the Oracle/TikTok deal in limbo.

    According to The Wall Street Journal, the Biden administration has asked to a delay an appeal against the injunction while it reviews the situation to see if the Trump administration’s actions were warranted.

    Needless to say, TikTok would no doubt prefer to remain independent. As a result, if there is a chance the current administration will abandon efforts to ban the app unless its purchased by a US company, there’s no incentive for talks to continue until the Biden administration reaches a conclusion.