Exclusive: Vietnam threatens to shut down Facebook over censorship requests - source
Vietnam has threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it does not bow to government pressure to censor more local political content on its platform, a senior official at the U.S. social media giant told Reuters.
Facebook complied with a government request in April to significantly increase its censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, but Vietnam asked the company again in August to step up its restrictions of critical posts, the official said.
“We made an agreement in April. Facebook has upheld our end of the agreement, and we expected the government of Vietnam to do the same,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing the sensitivity of the subject.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-facebook-shutdown-exclusive-idUSKBN27Z1MP
related post : https://t.me/NoGoolag/4247
#Asia #Vietnam #facebook #censorship
Vietnam has threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it does not bow to government pressure to censor more local political content on its platform, a senior official at the U.S. social media giant told Reuters.
Facebook complied with a government request in April to significantly increase its censorship of “anti-state” posts for local users, but Vietnam asked the company again in August to step up its restrictions of critical posts, the official said.
“We made an agreement in April. Facebook has upheld our end of the agreement, and we expected the government of Vietnam to do the same,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing the sensitivity of the subject.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-facebook-shutdown-exclusive-idUSKBN27Z1MP
related post : https://t.me/NoGoolag/4247
#Asia #Vietnam #facebook #censorship
U.S.
Exclusive: Vietnam threatens to shut down Facebook over censorship requests - source
Vietnam has threatened to shut down Facebook in the country if it does not bow to government pressure to censor more local political content on its platform, a senior official at the U.S. social media giant told Reuters.
Investigating Chinese Intelligence Firm Zhenhua Data
CCP is collecting massive amounts of data from social media including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, VK, Instagram etc. They also monitor a wide range of media outlets, news websites, news aggregators such as Reddit, etc.
Stories of Chinese Intelligence Firms leveraging Big Data Analysis, Social Media Platforms, LinkedIn, Mobile Devices, SIGINT, etc are all over the internet. However the recent stories about the Zhenhua Data Leak in the Indian Express caught our attention and we decided to leverage our ShadowMap platform to get some more insight on the Zhenhua Data operation.
After spending several days deep into this rabbit hole of vague corporations, a wide range of collection systems, some really interesting correlation use-cases – we’ve been able to put together a fairly comprehensive image of the Zhenhua Data operation.
While on the surface Zhenhua Data seems to be “just another” firm capturing, processing and selling publicly available information, the story changes rapidly once you look beyond the surface.
Zhenhua Data & Affiliates
According to the Zhenhua Data website (which has been taken offline, but is still accessible via ShadowMap) – “Zhenhua Data focuses on integrating overseas data and information to provide services for domestic institutions”. In-addition to Shenzhen Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co., Ltd. (china-revival.com) that has already received wide-spread coverage, we also found the involvement of Weiju (aggso.com) & SocialDataMax (socialdatamax.com).
Weiju, started out as a “location-based, instant messaging application that enables users to chat with nearby strangers.”, however the last update on its website (in 2015) mentions “Public opinion monitoring and early warning”, “Communication analysis statistics”, etc.
There are also several mentions of the underlying platforms being developed by “Beijing Juwei Hezhi Information Technology Co., Ltd.”, which has a very limited public presence but is listed online as “Juwei Hezhi is a company that analyzes social media big data”.
https://outline.com/MpwBFt
original article : https://shadowmap.com/security-research/investigating-chinese-intelligence-firm-zhenhua-data/
#Asia #China #intelligence
CCP is collecting massive amounts of data from social media including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, VK, Instagram etc. They also monitor a wide range of media outlets, news websites, news aggregators such as Reddit, etc.
Stories of Chinese Intelligence Firms leveraging Big Data Analysis, Social Media Platforms, LinkedIn, Mobile Devices, SIGINT, etc are all over the internet. However the recent stories about the Zhenhua Data Leak in the Indian Express caught our attention and we decided to leverage our ShadowMap platform to get some more insight on the Zhenhua Data operation.
After spending several days deep into this rabbit hole of vague corporations, a wide range of collection systems, some really interesting correlation use-cases – we’ve been able to put together a fairly comprehensive image of the Zhenhua Data operation.
While on the surface Zhenhua Data seems to be “just another” firm capturing, processing and selling publicly available information, the story changes rapidly once you look beyond the surface.
Zhenhua Data & Affiliates
According to the Zhenhua Data website (which has been taken offline, but is still accessible via ShadowMap) – “Zhenhua Data focuses on integrating overseas data and information to provide services for domestic institutions”. In-addition to Shenzhen Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co., Ltd. (china-revival.com) that has already received wide-spread coverage, we also found the involvement of Weiju (aggso.com) & SocialDataMax (socialdatamax.com).
Weiju, started out as a “location-based, instant messaging application that enables users to chat with nearby strangers.”, however the last update on its website (in 2015) mentions “Public opinion monitoring and early warning”, “Communication analysis statistics”, etc.
There are also several mentions of the underlying platforms being developed by “Beijing Juwei Hezhi Information Technology Co., Ltd.”, which has a very limited public presence but is listed online as “Juwei Hezhi is a company that analyzes social media big data”.
https://outline.com/MpwBFt
original article : https://shadowmap.com/security-research/investigating-chinese-intelligence-firm-zhenhua-data/
#Asia #China #intelligence
Outline
Investigating Chinese Intelligence Firm Zhenhua Data - ShadowMap
An in-depth investigation of Chinese Intelligence Firm Zhenhua Data based on the data collected by our ShadowMap platform.
Another City Is Using Crime Control as an Excuse for Facial Recognition Surveillance
Varanasi in India is installing 3,000 CCTV cameras with automated facial recognition tech at the city’s crossings.
From mandatory face masks and temperature checks, to socially distant holiday seasons, 2020 has upended our lives in the most haunting way. It’s also meant that governments across the world could introduce intrusive surveillance technology into our daily lives in the name of public health.
In China, the government has been tracking its citizens by monitoring their smartphones. Meanwhile, countries like Singapore and India have been using a contact tracing app to monitor those infected by the virus, while Israel is using a counter terrorism agency to keep track of its citizens’ movements.
However, these initiatives have been met with backlash from privacy experts and activists, who are concerned about mass surveillance emerging as another side-effect of the pandemic.
Now, Varanasi, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is installing a new network of CCTV cameras that will include automated facial recognition cameras (AFRS). Authorities say the sole purpose of these cameras is to advance security measures and track suspected criminals.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7ve4q/varanasi-india-using-facial-recognition-surveillance-technology
#Asia #India #surveillance #face #recognition
Varanasi in India is installing 3,000 CCTV cameras with automated facial recognition tech at the city’s crossings.
From mandatory face masks and temperature checks, to socially distant holiday seasons, 2020 has upended our lives in the most haunting way. It’s also meant that governments across the world could introduce intrusive surveillance technology into our daily lives in the name of public health.
In China, the government has been tracking its citizens by monitoring their smartphones. Meanwhile, countries like Singapore and India have been using a contact tracing app to monitor those infected by the virus, while Israel is using a counter terrorism agency to keep track of its citizens’ movements.
However, these initiatives have been met with backlash from privacy experts and activists, who are concerned about mass surveillance emerging as another side-effect of the pandemic.
Now, Varanasi, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is installing a new network of CCTV cameras that will include automated facial recognition cameras (AFRS). Authorities say the sole purpose of these cameras is to advance security measures and track suspected criminals.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7ve4q/varanasi-india-using-facial-recognition-surveillance-technology
#Asia #India #surveillance #face #recognition
Vice
Varanasi Is Using Crime Control as an Excuse for Facial Recognition Surveillance
Varanasi in India is installing 3,000 CCTV cameras with automated facial recognition tech at the city’s crossings.
Covid-19: China pushes for QR code based global travel system
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a "global mechanism" that would use QR codes to open up international travel.
"We need to further harmonise policies and standards and establish 'fast tracks' to facilitate the orderly flow of people," he said.
The codes will be used to help establish a traveller's health status.
But Human Rights advocates warn that the codes could be used for "broader political monitoring and exclusion".
Mr Xi made the comments at the G20 summit, an online meeting of heads of state from the world's 20 largest economies, which was hosted by Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
He said the codes could be used to recognise "health certificates based on nucleic acid test results", according to a transcript published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Mr Xi didn't go into further detail about how the travel scheme might work, or how closely it would be modelled on China's QR code apps, which have been used to help contain the virus on the mainland.
"We hope more countries will join this mechanism," he added.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55039662
#Asia #China #qrcode
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a "global mechanism" that would use QR codes to open up international travel.
"We need to further harmonise policies and standards and establish 'fast tracks' to facilitate the orderly flow of people," he said.
The codes will be used to help establish a traveller's health status.
But Human Rights advocates warn that the codes could be used for "broader political monitoring and exclusion".
Mr Xi made the comments at the G20 summit, an online meeting of heads of state from the world's 20 largest economies, which was hosted by Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
He said the codes could be used to recognise "health certificates based on nucleic acid test results", according to a transcript published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Mr Xi didn't go into further detail about how the travel scheme might work, or how closely it would be modelled on China's QR code apps, which have been used to help contain the virus on the mainland.
"We hope more countries will join this mechanism," he added.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55039662
#Asia #China #qrcode
BBC News
Covid-19: China pushes for QR code based global travel system
QR codes - bar codes that can be read by mobile phones - have been used in China during the pandemic.
Huawei tested AI software that could recognize Uighur minorities and alert police, report says
An internal report claims the face-scanning system could trigger a ‘Uighur alarm,’ sparking concerns that the software could help fuel China’s crackdown on the mostly Muslim minority group
The Chinese tech giant Huawei has tested facial recognition software that could send automated “Uighur alarms” to government authorities when its camera systems identify members of the oppressed minority group, according to an internal document that provides further details about China’s artificial-intelligence surveillance regime.
A document signed by Huawei representatives — discovered by the research organization IPVM and shared exclusively with The Washington Post — shows that the telecommunications firm worked in 2018 with the facial recognition start-up Megvii to test an artificial-intelligence camera system that could scan faces in a crowd and estimate each person’s age, sex and ethnicity.
If the system detected the face of a member of the mostly Muslim minority group, the test report said, it could trigger a “Uighur alarm” — potentially flagging them for police in China, where members of the group have been detained en masse as part of a brutal government crackdown. The document, which was found on Huawei’s website, was removed shortly after The Post and IPVM asked the companies for comment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/08/huawei-tested-ai-software-that-could-recognize-uighur-minorities-alert-police-report-says/
#Asia #China #Huawei #AI #Uighur #surveillance
An internal report claims the face-scanning system could trigger a ‘Uighur alarm,’ sparking concerns that the software could help fuel China’s crackdown on the mostly Muslim minority group
The Chinese tech giant Huawei has tested facial recognition software that could send automated “Uighur alarms” to government authorities when its camera systems identify members of the oppressed minority group, according to an internal document that provides further details about China’s artificial-intelligence surveillance regime.
A document signed by Huawei representatives — discovered by the research organization IPVM and shared exclusively with The Washington Post — shows that the telecommunications firm worked in 2018 with the facial recognition start-up Megvii to test an artificial-intelligence camera system that could scan faces in a crowd and estimate each person’s age, sex and ethnicity.
If the system detected the face of a member of the mostly Muslim minority group, the test report said, it could trigger a “Uighur alarm” — potentially flagging them for police in China, where members of the group have been detained en masse as part of a brutal government crackdown. The document, which was found on Huawei’s website, was removed shortly after The Post and IPVM asked the companies for comment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/08/huawei-tested-ai-software-that-could-recognize-uighur-minorities-alert-police-report-says/
#Asia #China #Huawei #AI #Uighur #surveillance
As China Tracked Muslims, Alibaba Showed Customers How They Could, Too
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/technology/alibaba-china-facial-recognition-uighurs.html
The website for the tech titan’s cloud business described facial recognition software that could detect members of a minority group whose persecution has drawn international condemnation.
As the Chinese government tracked and persecuted members of predominantly Muslim minority groups, the technology giant Alibaba taught its corporate customers how they could play a part.
Alibaba’s website for its cloud computing business showed how clients could use its software to detect the faces of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities within images and videos, according to pages on the site that were discovered by the surveillance industry publication IPVM and shared with The New York Times. The feature was built into Alibaba software that helps web platforms monitor digital content for material related to terrorism, pornography and other red-flag categories, the website said.
The discovery could thrust one of the world’s most valuable internet companies into the storm of international condemnation surrounding China’s treatment of its Muslim minorities.
#Asia #China #Alibaba #Uyghur #face #recognition #surveillance
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/technology/alibaba-china-facial-recognition-uighurs.html
The website for the tech titan’s cloud business described facial recognition software that could detect members of a minority group whose persecution has drawn international condemnation.
As the Chinese government tracked and persecuted members of predominantly Muslim minority groups, the technology giant Alibaba taught its corporate customers how they could play a part.
Alibaba’s website for its cloud computing business showed how clients could use its software to detect the faces of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities within images and videos, according to pages on the site that were discovered by the surveillance industry publication IPVM and shared with The New York Times. The feature was built into Alibaba software that helps web platforms monitor digital content for material related to terrorism, pornography and other red-flag categories, the website said.
The discovery could thrust one of the world’s most valuable internet companies into the storm of international condemnation surrounding China’s treatment of its Muslim minorities.
#Asia #China #Alibaba #Uyghur #face #recognition #surveillance
NY Times
As China Tracked Muslims, Alibaba Showed Customers How They Could, Too
The website for the tech titan’s cloud business described facial recognition software that could detect members of a minority group whose persecution has drawn international condemnation.
Inside India’s booming dark data economy
Thanks to lax privacy laws and high consumer demand, details on everything from how you shop to who you date are all for sale.
Ayushi Sahu was ambushed. One evening in 2018, five months after her wedding, the 21-year-old college student was visiting her parents in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, when her husband showed up unannounced, his father and uncle in tow.
As the men settled in the living room, her husband said he had something he wanted them to hear. He took out his mobile phone and pressed “play.” The audio was loud and clear: private conversations between Sahu and her friends and family, which had been recorded without her permission. And it wasn’t only audio: “call logs, SMS, and WhatsApp messages, each photo and video, recordings of my video calls — he claimed to have accessed everything,” Sahu said. That was when she realized that her husband had, for months, been spying on her.
https://restofworld.org/2020/all-the-data-fit-to-sell/
#Asia #India #spyware #domestic #surveillance #privacy
Thanks to lax privacy laws and high consumer demand, details on everything from how you shop to who you date are all for sale.
Ayushi Sahu was ambushed. One evening in 2018, five months after her wedding, the 21-year-old college student was visiting her parents in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, when her husband showed up unannounced, his father and uncle in tow.
As the men settled in the living room, her husband said he had something he wanted them to hear. He took out his mobile phone and pressed “play.” The audio was loud and clear: private conversations between Sahu and her friends and family, which had been recorded without her permission. And it wasn’t only audio: “call logs, SMS, and WhatsApp messages, each photo and video, recordings of my video calls — he claimed to have accessed everything,” Sahu said. That was when she realized that her husband had, for months, been spying on her.
https://restofworld.org/2020/all-the-data-fit-to-sell/
#Asia #India #spyware #domestic #surveillance #privacy
Rest of World
Inside India’s booming dark data economy
Thanks to lax privacy laws and high consumer demand, details on everything from how you shop to who you date are all for sale.
'Deepfake is the future of content creation'
A few months ago, millions of TV viewers across South Korea were watching the MBN channel to catch the latest news.
At the top of the hour, regular news anchor Kim Joo-Ha started to go through the day's headlines. It was a relatively normal list of stories for late 2020 - full of Covid-19 and pandemic response updates.
Yet this particular bulletin was far from normal, as Kim Joo-Ha wasn't actually on the screen. Instead she had been replaced by a "deepfake" version of herself - a computer-generated copy that aims to perfectly reflect her voice, gestures and facial expressions.
Viewers had been informed beforehand that this was going to happen, and South Korean media reported a mixed response after people had seen it. While some people were amazed at how realistic it was, others said they were worried that the real Kim Joo-Ha might lose her job.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56278411
#asia #south #korea #deepfake
A few months ago, millions of TV viewers across South Korea were watching the MBN channel to catch the latest news.
At the top of the hour, regular news anchor Kim Joo-Ha started to go through the day's headlines. It was a relatively normal list of stories for late 2020 - full of Covid-19 and pandemic response updates.
Yet this particular bulletin was far from normal, as Kim Joo-Ha wasn't actually on the screen. Instead she had been replaced by a "deepfake" version of herself - a computer-generated copy that aims to perfectly reflect her voice, gestures and facial expressions.
Viewers had been informed beforehand that this was going to happen, and South Korean media reported a mixed response after people had seen it. While some people were amazed at how realistic it was, others said they were worried that the real Kim Joo-Ha might lose her job.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56278411
#asia #south #korea #deepfake
BBC News
'Deepfake is the future of content creation'
Deepfake, or AI-generated videos, are increasingly being used commercially.
Obesity increases chances of Covid death across ethnicities: Study of 12.6 million UK adults
South Asians with BMI 27 kg/m² at same risk of Covid death as white people with 40 kg/m² — according to study by University of Leicester researchers — published in ‘Nature Communications’.
For South Asians, BMI over 23 is considered as overweight and BMI over 27 is considered as obese.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28248-1
#health #asia #obesity #mortality #bmi
South Asians with BMI 27 kg/m² at same risk of Covid death as white people with 40 kg/m² — according to study by University of Leicester researchers — published in ‘Nature Communications’.
For South Asians, BMI over 23 is considered as overweight and BMI over 27 is considered as obese.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28248-1
#health #asia #obesity #mortality #bmi
Forwarded from Pegasus NSO & other spyware
Beyond the Horizon: Traveling the World on Camaro Dragon’s USB Flash Drives - Check Point Research – June 2023
#CamaroDragon #USB #Flashdrive #MustangPanda #LuminousMoth #espionage #malware #China #Asia
In early 2023, the Check Point Incident Response Team (CPIRT) team investigated a malware incident at a European healthcare institution involving a set of tools mentioned in the Avast report in late 2022. The incident was attributed to Camaro Dragon, a Chinese-based espionage threat actor whose activities overlap with activities tracked by different researchers as Mustang Panda and LuminousMoth, whose focus is primarily on Southeast Asian countries and their close peers.#CamaroDragon #USB #Flashdrive #MustangPanda #LuminousMoth #espionage #malware #China #Asia
Forwarded from Pegasus NSO & other spyware
iOS LightSpy Returns: Renewed Espionage Campaign Targets Southern Asia, Possibly India
@androidMalware
#LightSpy #Spyware #India #SouthAsia #Asia #iOS
LightSpy possesses modules designed to exfiltrate device information and saved files, including data from popular messenger applications such as QQ, WeChat, and Telegram. It also has a plugin capable of crawling the payment history of the victim from WeChat Pay (Weixin Pay in China). It can additionally access a user’s contacts, SMS messages, phone call history, GPS location, connected WiFi history, and the browser history of Safari and Chrome. This comprehensive set of features can turn a user’s infected phone into a potent spying device.
@androidMalware
#LightSpy #Spyware #India #SouthAsia #Asia #iOS