Expert Comments

TikTok, WeChat Banned – Privacy And Cybersecurity Experts Reaction

Expert(s): Security Experts
Expert(s): Security Experts

The Associated Press is among outlets reporting the US bans WeChat, TikTok from app stores, threatens shutdowns. Privacy and cybersecurity experts offer perspective.

Experts Comments

September 21, 2020
Saryu Nayyar
CEO
Gurucul
The Executive Order to block TikTok and WeChat is no surprise, as it was announced some time ago. The challenge is balancing public wants, national security perceptions, and valid cybersecurity concerns. Social media applications are important platforms for public discourse and influence, but we have seen numerous incidents where these platforms can be abused to any number of ends. It remains to be seen whether the National Security concerns are valid, but it's a fact that social media.....Read More
The Executive Order to block TikTok and WeChat is no surprise, as it was announced some time ago. The challenge is balancing public wants, national security perceptions, and valid cybersecurity concerns. Social media applications are important platforms for public discourse and influence, but we have seen numerous incidents where these platforms can be abused to any number of ends. It remains to be seen whether the National Security concerns are valid, but it's a fact that social media platforms can be a valuable source of information. Analysis based on Artificial Intelligence and Big Data can make even mundane information useful in the right hands. Separate from the application specifics here, we all need to be more aware of our own privacy and the kinds of data we openly share on-line.  Read Less
September 21, 2020
Jake Moore
Cybersecurity Specialist
ESET
All apps come with a level of risk and TikTok’s data collection practices aren’t that different to other advertising based businesses that flourish amongst the app stores. If anything, there are other apps that may even pose more of a threat due to the amount of data that they suck out of their devices in order for their business models to work. Users need to question whether installing an app and setting up an account is really worth the exchange in handing over their personal data to.....Read More
All apps come with a level of risk and TikTok’s data collection practices aren’t that different to other advertising based businesses that flourish amongst the app stores. If anything, there are other apps that may even pose more of a threat due to the amount of data that they suck out of their devices in order for their business models to work. Users need to question whether installing an app and setting up an account is really worth the exchange in handing over their personal data to these huge companies.  Read Less
September 21, 2020
Chloé Messdaghi
VP of Strategy
Point3 Security
There are many layers to this issue but it comes down to a fundamental need for surveillance reform in defense of our first amendment rights. Social Media channels have evolved very rapidly and they benefited and profited greatly from an across the board, de facto trust we’ve placed in them. We’ve inherently accepted that they are allowed to collect our data for their purposes, without disclosing how that data is being used. Today, the major social media companies know so much more about.....Read More
There are many layers to this issue but it comes down to a fundamental need for surveillance reform in defense of our first amendment rights. Social Media channels have evolved very rapidly and they benefited and profited greatly from an across the board, de facto trust we’ve placed in them. We’ve inherently accepted that they are allowed to collect our data for their purposes, without disclosing how that data is being used. Today, the major social media companies know so much more about you and I than we know, and in terms of consumer rights and transparency they act a bit like they are their own personal governments. Documentaries such as “The Social Dilemma” are really just beginning to take a hard look at what we’ve surrendered in terms of privacy rights, and to what end. The fallout from unchecked social media’s data gathering has included a ballooning concern about fake news and the growing awareness that content is being served to us that’s highly attuned to our interests, locations, demographics and even individual patterns, preferences, values, attitudes, friends, hobbies, passions, and influences. It’s been a major factor in the spread of fringe groups such as QAnon. As of now there is no publicly available evidence that China had access to or used this data. It’s just being assumed, and that’s unfortunate from a first amendment standpoint. In 2020, TikTok is one of the dominant platforms that has helped help likeminded people to share information and plans, and come together. Much as Twitter did during Arab Spring, TikTok has served as a catalyst in this summer of social upheaval and progress-minded action. Banning TikTok thwarts that. China has invoked similar social media bans on US platforms, citing similar data privacy concerns. So again, it comes down to the amount of surveillance that We The People permit social platforms to conduct. Will we remain passive? Or will we instead urge our legislators to take strong actions in order to both protect the privacy of our personal data and preferences, and protect our communications channels as conduits for free speech?  Read Less

Submit Your Expert Comments

What do you think of the topic? Do you agree with expert(s) or share your expert opinion below.
Be part of our growing Information Security Expert Community (1000+), please register here.

Write Your Expert Comments *
Your Registered Email *
Notification Email (If different from your registered email)
* By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this web site.
SUBMIT

You may also like

Panasonic Becomes Latest Victim Of Data Breach – Security Expert...

Clearview’s £17 Million Fine For Processing 10+ Billion Images Is...

Booz Allen Report On CISOs And China Quantum Computing Risks,...

Experts Reactions On Sky Broadband Hack Warning

Ransomware Set To Break Records This Black Friday 2021

Security Expert On Apple Suing NSO Group

Meta Delays Plans To Rollout End-to-end Encryption

NCSC Issues Black Friday Warning To Tetailers

How The Zelle Fraud Scam Steals Your Bank Credentials

GoDaddy Data Breach Impacts Over A Million Users, Experts Reactions

Information Security Buzz (aka ISBuzz News) is an independent resource that provides the experts comments, analysis and opinion on the latest Information Security news and topics

Twitter Facebook-f Linkedin Youtube

Working With Us

The Pages

Our Contributing Experts