DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

CNN —The Chinese government has built up the world’s largest known online disinformation operation and is using it to harass US residents, politicians, and businesses—at times threatening its targets with violence, a CNN review of court documents and public disclosures by social media companies has found. Victims face a barrage of tens of thousands of social media posts that call them traitors, dogs, and racist and homophobic slurs. While tech and social media companies have shut down thousands of accounts targeting these victims, they’re outpaced by a slew of new accounts emerging virtually every day. As part of a mission “to manipulate public perceptions of [China], the Group uses its misattributed social media accounts to threaten, harass and intimidate specific victims,” the complaint states. In the past, the Spamouflage network mostly focused on issues domestically relevant to China.

Persons: –, Xi Jinping, Biden, Mike Gallagher, Chen Pokong, ”, Chen, “, Spamouflage’s, Liu Pengyu, ” Liu, Jiayang, Darren Linvill, hasn’t, Fan, Communist Party playbook, Mandiant, Nancy Pelosi, ” Ben Nimmo, George Floyd’s, Ben Nimmo, Lindsay Gorman, Gorman, ” Linvill, Linvill, Spamouflage, Jiajun Qiu, Qiu, ” Qiu Organizations: CNN, US State Department, FBI, Communist Party, Meta, Google, ”, CCP, US Department of Justice, Department, DOJ, China’s Ministry of Public Security, Group, New Yorker, telltale, Media, Clemson University, Capitol, Department of Homeland Security, Marshall Fund’s Alliance, Securing Democracy, YouTube Locations: United States, Beijing, San Francisco, China “, New York, China, New York City, America, Washington, Hong Kong, US, Texas, Virginia, Manassas , Virginia

Among the many conspiracy theories that have fueled that belief on the right are those surrounding ballot drop boxes. Users have promoted the investigation as evidence for the persistent, false narratives about widespread fraud connected to ballot drop boxes. Some Republican lawmakers, who had raised concerns about the security of drop boxes during the pandemic, said the Bridgeport videos prove they were correct. In many cases, drop boxes are placed in locations where they can be monitored by election staff or security cameras. “It’s not the ballot boxes that are the problem,” said Cheri Quickmire, executive director of the voter advocacy group Common Cause in Connecticut.

Persons: —, Donald Trump’s, Doug Dubitsky, ”, Dubitsky, Trump, David Levine, “, Joe Ganim, John Gomes, Gomes, Ganim, Sen, Rob Sampson, It’s, Cheri Quickmire, They've, Matt Ritter, ” ___ Cassidy, Christine Fernando Organizations: Democrats, Republicans, Republican, Democratic, Marshall Fund’s Alliance, Securing Democracy, General, Associated Press, Voting, Connecticut Legislature, Hartford Democrat Locations: HARTFORD, Conn, Connecticut’s, Bridgeport, Idaho, In Connecticut, United States, Connecticut, “, Atlanta, Chicago

☆ Startup investors are fueling a boom in U.S. defense tech as China standoff opens doors at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Louie added that he doesn't "know of a single major fund out there that isn't thinking about disruptive tech investing in the U.S., investing in defense tech, investing in microelectronics and AI in the next generation and next iteration." Stephen McCarthy | Sportsfile | Getty ImagesVC funding in aerospace and defense tech has shot up in recent years, according to data compiled by PitchBook for CNBC. The poster child for U.S.-focused defense tech is Anduril Industries, co-founded in 2017 by Oculus Rift designer Palmer Luckey. They can just look at the untapped potential in defense tech. "The government's becoming a better customer," said Shah, who previously served as managing partner of the Defense Department's Defense Innovation Unit, which seeks to accelerate the use of emerging technologies.

Persons: Hadrian, Chris Power Hadrian, Joe Biden, Gilman Louie, Alsop, Louie Partners, He's, Louie, Biden, Lindsay Gorman, she's, Gorman, Chris Power, Power, Hadrian's, Peter Thiel's, Palmer Luckey, Stephen McCarthy, Sportsfile, Anduril, Richard Jenkins, Bilal Zuberi, Lux, Zuberi, Jenkins, Saildrone didn't, Paul Kwan, Catalyst, What's, Kwan, Kyle Harrison, Saul Loeb, Raj Shah, Josh Wolfe, There's, Shah, Wolfe Organizations: Chris Power Hadrian Automation, America's Frontier, U.S, Marshall Fund's Alliance, Securing Democracy, Lux Capital, Fund, Andutil Industries, Enercare Center, Getty, PitchBook, CNBC, Industries, Oculus, Blue Force Technologies, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Navy, Coast Guard, Google, Intel, AFP, Shield, Lux, Defense Department's Defense Innovation Unit, Power, YouTube, China Locations: China, U.S, America, Torrance , California, Los Angeles, Toronto, Canada, Ukraine, New Albany , Ohio, Silicon

☆ China wants to keep Russia in a 'Goldilocks' state — not too strong and not too weak
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Some analysts have likened the relationship to the tale of "Goldilocks" in which a middle ground is sought, with China wanting its ally Russia to not be either too strong, where it could challenge Beijing, nor too weak where it leaves China ideologically isolated against the West. It could also be seen to embolden the West and cause political instability in Russia, essentially China's backyard. "China, like many Europeans, will also want to avoid a total collapse of Russia, with the nuclear proliferation risks that might pose. China is seen by international observers as being one of the few countries that could exert its influence on Russia in bringing about an end to the war in Ukraine. "There is no way actually for China to make Russia stronger without jeopardizing Chinese interests," he told CNBC.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Druzhinin, Etienne Soula, Soula, Xie Huanchi Organizations: AFP, Getty, U.S ., Beijing, Alliance, Democracy, German Marshall Fund of, CNBC, Russia, Xinhua News Agency, Research Locations: Russia, U.S, Beijing, Moscow, Ukraine, China, United States, Asia, Kyiv

☆ Chinese apps remain hugely popular in the U.S. despite efforts to ban TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +15 min

But while TikTok has been the one in the spotlight, other Chinese apps that present similar issues are also experiencing massive popularity in the U.S. Gorman said as the U.S. considers the threat posed by TikTok, it will also need to develop a framework for how to evaluate the relative risk of Chinese apps. But in the meantime, U.S. consumers continue to turn to Chinese apps. "And then of course, there's the early growth of Lemon8, which suggests that the appetite for Chinese apps in the U.S. is still growing." And some say the most effective long-term solution for curbing the use of Chinese apps may be fostering an environment for robust alternatives to grow.

☆ China walks a tightrope, searching for a Ukraine peace deal that gets around defeat for its ally Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a signing ceremony after their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. "Russia is an increasingly important partner for [Chinese President] Xi Jinping. Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping leave after a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping via phone line, in Kyiv on April 26, 2023. As such, China's move to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine is not seen as an altruistic one but motivated by self-interest.

☆ U.S.-China tech rivalry will continue to put Chinese firms under intense scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowChinese companies will continue to face intense scrutiny as U.S.-China tensions and competition won't be easing anytime soon, one analyst told CNBC. Chinese companies are getting a ton of scrutiny in part because of their ties to the Chinese Communist Party," said Lindsay Gorman, senior fellow for emerging tech at the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for Securing Democracy, on CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" Tuesday. It's really intense competition [between the U.S. and China]. That really speaks to just how intertwined the U.S. and Chinese technological ecosystems are and have been. We can't let undersea cables become another example of that trend," said U.S.

☆ Tim Cook's Beijing visit: China and U.S. tech ecosystems are 'intertwined,' analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTim Cook's Beijing visit: China and U.S. tech ecosystems are 'intertwined,' analyst saysLindsay Gorman of the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for Securing Democracy says U.S. companies like Apple have significant manufacturing bases in China, and that complicates the "geopolitical picture."

☆ TikTok and its CEO are fighting to save the app in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In his talk, Chew, the CEO of TikTok, said the social network would not provide US user data to the Chinese government and has never been asked to do so. Chew stressed the steps TikTok has taken to protect US user data. The Harvard event is just one of several media appearances Chew has made in recent weeks amid mounting scrutiny of TikTok and of himself. “It’s life or death for TikTok, from their perspective,” said Justin Sherman, the CEO of Global Cyber Strategies, D.C.-based research and advisory firm, who was among the researchers TikTok invited to be briefed on “Project Texas,” the company’s $1.5 billion initiative to address lawmakers’ security concerns. But for some lawmakers with security concerns, the latest push “may be too little too late.”In his TikTok video on Tuesday, Chew appealed directly to users of the app.

☆ Biden and Trump agree on at least one thing: Something has to be done about TikTok. But it's not that easy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

As the Biden administration pushes for a TikTok sale or ban, it's clear the idea has bipartisan support. We've been here before, when the Trump administration pushed TikTok to sell its US operations in much the same way. While the Biden administration's approach to TikTok has been slightly different, it's clear that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle support a TikTok ban. A bill to ban TikTok on federal devices passed in December with bipartisan support in Congress, and was then signed by President Biden. That's likely to happen on a wider scale if the Biden Administration pushed for an immediate ban, experts said.

The Biden administration and CFIUS are pushing for a sale of TikTok in the US. The Chinese government could also block a TikTok sale outright before bidding kicks off. But the list of companies that would actually consider buying TikTok is small, experts told Insider. "I think Microsoft would be one of the only big money, big company possibilities." Ultimately, separating TikTok's US operations, whether in a sale to a big tech firm or a spin off, is complicated.

☆ TikTok's potential U.S. ban presents host of questions for app stores, internet companies and the government
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. related investing news What a potential TikTok ban could mean for Club holding Meta Platforms It's not an issue yet, as there are still some ways a TikTok ban could be avoided or accessed legally in the U.S. Should the U.S. ban TikTok, the mechanics on what happens from there get murky. And the app stores controlled by Apple and Google are the primary places for consumers to download the TikTok app. Under Chinese law, companies can be required to hand over internal information to the government for supposed national security purposes.

☆ Here's what we know about Hamilton 68, the Russian online influence tracker called into question by the 'Twitter Files'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

A recent "Twitter Files" drop revealed deep concerns among Twitter executives about a database that claimed to track Russian propaganda in "near real time." The now defunct database, Hamilton 68, was widely cited by media outlets, including Insider, before it was shut down in 2018. He wrote that based on his analysis, Hamilton 68 "falsely accuses a bunch of legitimate, right-leaning accounts of being Russian bots." Berger and ASD did not respond to a request to provide Insider with the list of accounts Hamilton 68 tracked. Roth also claimed, after reverse-engineering the list of accounts that Hamilton 68 tracked, that they were "neither strongly Russian nor strongly bots."

☆ Fact Check-WiFi access inside a polling place is not proof of election fraud
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Access to WiFi inside a polling place is not automatic proof of voter fraud, despite claims made online, experts told Reuters. The post led to claims that a new WiFi network suddenly appearing from inside a polling station can lead to voter fraud. WIFI PRESENCE NOT EVIDENCE OF FRAUDBut the presence of a WiFi network inside a polling place is not automatic proof of nefarious activity, experts in election security told Reuters. The presence of a WiFi network inside a polling place is not automatically proof of fraud, experts told Reuters. WiFi-connected electronic polling books that check in voters are commonplace at polling stations across the country.

Search resuls for: "Securing Democracy"

14 mentions found