Latest news with #internet traffic
Forbes
4 days ago
- Forbes
Do Not Keep These ‘High Risk' Apps On Your iPhone Or Android
While TikTok has generated the most headlines when it comes to allegations of your data being secretly sent to China, it turns out that a much bigger threat could have been been hiding on your phone all this time. And this one is much more dangerous. It has taken a spate of porn bans — first in the U.S. and now in Europe to flush out this risk. As much as smartphone users need their TikTok fix, porn is an even bigger draw. And tens of millions of users are suddenly masking their internet traffic for the first time, pretending to be somewhere they are not to bypass those bans. This is done by way of virtual private networks or VPNs. The same technology that failed to circumvent TikTok's short-lived U.S. ban in January. But for porn, VPNs work just fine. vpnMentor saw a 'staggering' 6,000% surge in U.K VPN use after restrictions came into effect. The same explosive growth seen in the U.S. and France. Many of the installed VPNs were free apps topping App Store and Play Store charts. But many of these have a nasty, hidden secret. As Top10VPN's Simon Migliano warns, "despite being made aware of glaring privacy failures and opaque corporate structures, Google and Apple continue to permit these high-risk apps on their platforms.' A month ago, the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) issued a report into free VPNs, warning that 'millions of Americans have downloaded apps that secretly route their internet traffic through Chinese companies.' It reported on this same threat in April. 'Apple and Google app stores continue to offer private browsing apps that are surreptitiously owned by Chinese companies… six weeks after they were identified.' 'In light of these findings," Migliano warns, "I strongly urge users to avoid Chinese-owned VPNs altogether." He says 'the risks are too great' to keep them on your phone. As BeyondTrust's James Maude told me 'if you aren't paying for a product, you are the product. These VPNs are a perfect example of the hidden costs of free apps where users seeking privacy are potentially unknowingly feeding data to a foreign nation state." Google told me it is "committed to compliance with applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws. When we locate accounts that may violate these laws, our related policies or Terms of Service, we take appropriate action.' While Apple says it enforces App Store rules but does not differentiate its handling of apps by the location of their developers, albeit VPNs are prohibited from sharing data. My advice is to open either the App Store on your iPhone or the Play Store on your Android, and then search for 'free VPN.' You should delete any apps listed as installed on your phone that highlight that 'free VPN" tag, unless they are linked to blue-chip, western technology firms that provide other security offerings. Meanwhile, here's the TTP list of Chinese apps you should search for: Apple App Store: Google Play Store:
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
US Adopts Submarine Cable Rules to Address China Security Risk
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved new rules to accelerate the deployment and security of subsea data cables, citing growing threats from China and other foreign adversaries. The move aims to strengthen US leadership in artificial intelligence and next-generation technologies by targeting the vast global network of subsea cables that carry about 99% of the world's Internet traffic and support more than $10 trillion in financial transactions daily.
