Tag Archive for: ios
Parler app removed from Google Play Store (Update: Apple suspends iOS app)
- Parler, a “free speech” social media app, has been removed from the Google Play Store.
- In a statement, Google said Parler had not done enough to “implement robust moderation for egregious content.”
- Apple has also warned Parler to put in better moderation or its iOS app will be removed from Apple’s app store.
Update: January 9, 2021 – 8:36 p.m. ET – Deadline reports that Apple has now suspended the iOS Parler app from its App Store as well. Apple told Parler in an email that the social networking company “has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people’s safety.”
Original story – January 9, 2021 – Parler, the social media app that centers on conservative themes and content, has had its app removed from the Google Play Store. Launched in 2018, Parler has become more popular over the last several months among US conservatives.
In the wake of Wednesday’s looting of the US Capital in Washington D.C. by a mob, it had been discovered that Parler was used by some right-wing groups and individuals to promote participation in that mob and to advocate violence during that event. Late Friday night, Google decided that was enough to remove the Parler app from the Play Store.
In an email statement from Google, as posted by XDA Developers, the company stated:
In order to protect user safety on Google Play, our longstanding policies require that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence. All developers agree to these terms and we have reminded Parler of this clear policy in recent months.
We’re aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the U.S. We recognize that there can be reasonable debate about content policies and that it can be difficult for apps to immediately remove all violative content, but for us to distribute an app through Google Play, we do require that apps implement robust moderation for egregious content. In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app’s listings from the Play Store until it addresses these issues.
In addition to the…
New Goontact spyware discovered targeting Android and iOS users
Image: Lookout
Security researchers have discovered a new malware strain with spying and surveillance capabilities —also known as spyware— that is currently available in both Android and iOS versions.
Named Goontact, this malware has the ability to collect from infected victims data such as phone identifiers, contacts, SMS messages, photos, and location information.
Detected by mobile security firm Lookout, the Goontact malware is currently distributed via third-party sites promoting free instant messaging apps dedicated to reaching escort services.
The target audience of these sites appears to be limited at the moment to Chinese speaking countries, Korea, and Japan, Lookout said in a report shared today with ZDNet.
Although the malware has yet to reach official Apple and Google app stores, there are signs that users are downloading and side-loading Goontact-infected applications.
Data collected from these apps is sent back to online servers under the Goontact operators’ control. Based on the language used for the admin panels of these servers, Lookout believes the Goontact operation is most likely managed by Chinese-speaking threat actors.
Links suggest connection to past sextortion campaign
Apurva Kumar, Staff Security Intelligence Engineer at Lookout, told ZDNet that the Goontact operation is very similar to sextortion campaign described by Trend Micro in 2018 (PDF).
Although there is no tangible evidence at the moment, Kumar believes that data collected through these apps could later be used to extort victims into paying small ransoms or have their attempts to arrange sexual encounters exposed to friends and contacts.
“We have notified both Google and Apple of this threat and are actively collaborating with them to protect all Android and iOS users from Goontact,” Kumar told ZDNet in an email over the weekend.
“Apple has revoked the enterprise certificates used to sign the apps and, as a result, the apps will stop working on devices,” the Lookout security engineer added.
“Play…