The article discusses the discovery of malware in Pinduoduo's app, which is a Chinese e-commerce platform. The malware was discovered by researchers who noticed unusual permissions being requested by the app. Upon further investigation, it was found that the app was exploiting vulnerabilities in the Android operating system to gain access to users' personal data and location information.
The article highlights several concerns about Pinduoduo's handling of the situation:
1. Lack of oversight: The Chinese government's regulatory agency, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, failed to detect the malware.
2. Failure to remove the malware: Despite discovering the issue, Pinduoduo took only two days to update its app and remove the exploits.
3. Punishment for those involved: Some of the team members who developed the malware were transferred to a different department at Pinduoduo, while others were reassigned to other roles.
4. Lack of transparency: The Chinese government's response to the issue was criticized by some experts as inadequate.
The article also notes that this incident highlights the challenges in regulating Big Tech companies in China, particularly when it comes to cybersecurity and data protection.
Key quotes:
* "I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s like, super expansive." - Sergey Toshin, Android security expert
* "They’re supposed to check Pinduoduo, and the fact that they didn’t find (anything) is embarrassing for the regulator." - Kendra Schaefer, tech policy expert
Key statistics:
* 6 teams of researchers were contacted by CNN for this story
* 3 teams did not conduct full examinations, but their primary reviews showed that Pinduoduo's app asked for a large number of permissions beyond normal functions
* The Personal Information Protection Law stipulates that no party should illegally collect, process or transmit personal information
Key sources:
* Dark Navy, Chinese cybersecurity firm
* Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
* Cyberspace Administration of China
* Weibo, a Twitter-like platform
The article highlights several concerns about Pinduoduo's handling of the situation:
1. Lack of oversight: The Chinese government's regulatory agency, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, failed to detect the malware.
2. Failure to remove the malware: Despite discovering the issue, Pinduoduo took only two days to update its app and remove the exploits.
3. Punishment for those involved: Some of the team members who developed the malware were transferred to a different department at Pinduoduo, while others were reassigned to other roles.
4. Lack of transparency: The Chinese government's response to the issue was criticized by some experts as inadequate.
The article also notes that this incident highlights the challenges in regulating Big Tech companies in China, particularly when it comes to cybersecurity and data protection.
Key quotes:
* "I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s like, super expansive." - Sergey Toshin, Android security expert
* "They’re supposed to check Pinduoduo, and the fact that they didn’t find (anything) is embarrassing for the regulator." - Kendra Schaefer, tech policy expert
Key statistics:
* 6 teams of researchers were contacted by CNN for this story
* 3 teams did not conduct full examinations, but their primary reviews showed that Pinduoduo's app asked for a large number of permissions beyond normal functions
* The Personal Information Protection Law stipulates that no party should illegally collect, process or transmit personal information
Key sources:
* Dark Navy, Chinese cybersecurity firm
* Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
* Cyberspace Administration of China
* Weibo, a Twitter-like platform
. I mean, who wants their location info and personal data just handed over to some company? It's not like you can change it on the fly or anything. Pinduoduo should've been more proactive about addressing this issue from day one... not just when they got caught 
. And what's up with the punishments for those involved? Just giving them a slap on the wrist and slapping them in another department isn't gonna cut it 
. We need real consequences, like fines or actual prison time. It's all about priorities, folks: are we more concerned with profit over people? 
. And even then, they just scratched the surface - it's like Pinduoduo was trying to hide something all along 
. Two days to update and fix the app? That's not exactly reassuring 
.
. I mean, the regulator didn't even detect the malware? That's embarrassing for them, but not exactly reassuring for users 
.
. If companies can just exploit vulnerabilities and get away with it, what's the point of having all these laws on the books? 
ugh, it's just another example of how outta touch the big tech companies are 
. I mean, come on, 2 days to update an app? that's like, barely even a test period 
. and what really gets my goat is that they're more worried about punishment for the devs than actually fixing the problem in the first place 
? It's like, I get it, China has a ton of different agencies and regulations, but that doesn't mean they're doing their jobs effectively. We need more transparency and accountability here, not just some half-baked solutions 
... like what's going on with Pinduoduo? How could they let this happen in the first place? The fact that their own government agency didn't detect it is just crazy 
. I mean, 2 days to fix the issue? That's not good enough 
. We need more transparency and accountability from big tech companies like Pinduoduo. It's all about the users' data protection now 
... can't we just get some real answers out of them? 
! TWO DAYS IS WAY TOO LONG TO UPDATE AN APP AND REMOVE MALWARE 
!
It just goes to show how much work needs to be done to create a robust cybersecurity framework in China 
. Maybe it'll prompt some serious changes in the way Big Tech companies operate in China. So, while this isn't exactly what you'd call "good news", there's definitely room for optimism here 
