TikTok has condemned the Trump administration’s executive order to ban the popular Chinese social media app, pledging to explore all possible actions to ensure “the rule of law is not discarded”. It describes the US move as one that lacked due process and based on unsubstantiated information. 
Expressing “shock” over the executive order, TikTok said in a statement Friday it had reached out to the US government for almost a year in efforts to resolve concerns it had over data security. “What we encountered instead was that the administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses,” it said. 

US President Donald Trump this week signed two executive orders barring any US transaction with TikTok, its parent company ByteDance, and its subsidiaries, as well as with popular Chinese messaging app WeChat and its parent company Tencent. The orders would take effect in 44 days. TikTok has hit more than 175 million downloads in the US, and 800 million worldwide, while WeChat has more than 1.2 billion monthly active users across the globe.
Trump had alleged that apps developed in China threatened his country’s national security, foreign policy, and economy. “TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories,” the order noted. “This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information, potentially allowing China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct espionage.”
In its statement, TikTok noted that it had been willing to work with the relevant officials to identify a solution that could benefit its users and partners, amongst others, as well as the broader US community. However, there had been no due process or adherence to the law on the part of the US government. 
Instead, the administration had relied on unnamed reports that carried no citations and played up fears, which had “no substantiation”, that the app might be used misinformation campaigns. 
The US also had cited concerns about the collection of data that was “industry standard” for thousands of mobile apps available in the market today, the app maker said. 
“We have made clear that TikTok has never shared user data with the Chinese government or censored content at its request. In fact, we make our moderation guidelines and algorithm source code available in our transparency center, which is a level of accountability no peer company has committed to. We even expressed our willingness to pursue a full sale of the US business to an American company.” 
It said Trump’s executive order risked undermining global businesses’ trust in the US government’s adherence to the rule of law and set a “dangerous precedent” for free expression and open markets. 
“We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly — if not by the administration, then by the US courts,” TikTok said.
Adding that 100 million Americans used its platform, the company called on its users and partners to made their voice heard to their elected government representatives as well as the White House. 
Microsoft earlier confirmed it was in discussions with ByteDance to acquire TikTok’s operations in the US as well as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and was looking to complete its negotiations before September 15. Trump had suggested the US government should receive a “substantial” cut of the acquisition for “making it possible”.
In an earlier statement this week, TikTok unveiled new measures it said aimed to stem misinformation and content designed to disrupt the US elections in November. These included updates to its policies for better clarity on what was and was not allowed on its platform and wider collaboration with fact-checking partners as well as the US Department of Homeland Security, such as on efforts to verify election-related information, in-app reporting of election misinformation, and safeguard against foreign interference. 
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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNETI’m always on the lookout for a now toy — ahem, I mean tool — to add to my everyday carry (EDC) gear. New multitools, flashlights, and other cool tools are always on my radar.A few weeks ago, I happened to come across something that, the moment I saw it, I just had to have it. It was one of those gambles: “it might be good, it might be on the way back to Amazon by the end of the day”. Also: 10 tiny tools I carry with me everywhere – how they workIt turned out to be one of the coolest, best engineered bits of kit I’ve handled in a while, and it even doubles as a fidget toy. It’s a mini 1/4-inch ratchet wrench by 711L More

Almost two and a half million Android and iPhone users downloaded seven adware apps from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, according to research by a cybersecurity company.
Many of the apps were being promoted via TikTok and Instagram accounts – one of which had over 300,000 followers. Detailed by cybersecurity researchers at Avast, the apps have been brought to the attention of Apple and Google.
The apps themselves are all relatively simple – prank applications to ‘shock’ friends, music downloaders and wallpaper apps, but they all aggressively display pop-ups which either outright charge users for using additional functions, or display adverts that take up the entire screen, requiring users to click on them to remove them. Both schemes generate revenue for those behind the apps.
One of of the ways the apps have managed to bypass security protections of official Android and Apple app stores is because they’re HiddenAds trojans, which while appearing legitimate to app store protections, push malicious functionalities from outside the application.
SEE: Cybersecurity: Let’s get tactical (ZDNet/TechRepublic special feature) | Download the free PDF version (TechRepublic)
That means the activity only emerges once the app has been installed by the user and the permissions provided enable the app to receive instructions from outside the app – which in this case is to display intrusive adverts and demand individual charges of up to $8 from users.
“The apps we discovered are scams and violate both Google’s and Apple’s app policies by either making misleading claims around app functionalities, or serving ads outside of the app and hiding the original app icon soon after the app is installed,” said Jakub Vávra, threat analyst at Avast.  
The apps that have been removed from Google Play include ThemeZone – Shawky App Free – Shock My Friends, Ultimate Music Downloader – Free Download Music. Another set of apps including Shock My Friends – Satuna, 666 Time, ThemeZone – Live Wallpapers and shock my friend tap roulette v are no longer available from the Apple App store in the UK.
While adware, malware and other malicious apps can be difficult to identify, one way users can protect themselves is by not installing them in the first place and by carefully reading reviews of apps because low reviews and complains about functionality or excess charges could indicate something is wrong.
Users should also be wary of apps which charge excessive amounts for basic features as it’s likely a sign that something isn’t right, while it’s also a good idea to check the permissions the app asks for, because asking for excessive access to the device could also be a sign that something isn’t right.
The researchers note that one of the apps requests access to a device’s external storage, which can include photos, videos, and files, depending on how the storage is used. “Accessing external storage is not a must for a wallpaper app,” said Vávra.
“So rather than just tapping “Allow,” the next time a new app asks for certain permissions, take a minute to think about whether or not it really needs that access. Does a weather app need to access your microphone? Nope. Does a wallpaper app need to access your storage? Nope. That’s a sign the app is likely a scam,” he added.
Google told ZDNet that the offending apps have been removed from the store – although ZDNet has informed Google that at the time of writing one remains. Apple hasn’t responded to a request for comment.

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been handed the data storage contract for Australia’s soon-to-be launched COVID-19 contact tracing app. With AWS headquartered in the United States, concerns over the security of the data have been raised, with fears it could be accessed by US law enforcement. A spokesperson for Minister for Government Services Stuart Robert told […] More

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