The article discusses the discovery of malware in Pinduoduo, a Chinese e-commerce company, and its implications for user privacy and security. Here are some key points:
1. **Malware discovery**: A cybersecurity firm called Dark Navy discovered malware in Pinduoduo's app in late February.
2. **Exploits removed**: On March 5, Pinduoduo issued a new update that removed the exploits, according to two experts who CNN spoke to.
3. **Team disbanded**: The team of engineers and product managers who developed the malware was disbanded by Pinduoduo two days after the update.
4. **Access to user data**: The malware allowed access to users' locations, contacts, calendars, notifications, and photo albums without their consent.
5. **Regulatory failure**: Tech policy experts say that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology should have detected the malware, but did not.
6. **Censorship**: A cybersecurity expert with 1.8 million followers on Weibo (a Chinese social media platform) was censored for making comments about the incident.
7. **Lack of understanding**: Some experts argue that regulators may not understand coding and programming, or technology in general.
The article highlights a failure of oversight by regulatory bodies in China, which is surprising given the country's efforts to increase regulation on Big Tech companies. The discovery of malware in Pinduoduo also raises concerns about user privacy and security in China.
**Key players:**
* Dark Navy (cybersecurity firm)
* Pinduoduo (Chinese e-commerce company)
* Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
* Cyberspace Administration of China
* Kendra Schaefer (tech policy expert)
* Sean Lyngaas (reporter)
**Geographic scope:** China
**Industry:** E-commerce, technology, cybersecurity
1. **Malware discovery**: A cybersecurity firm called Dark Navy discovered malware in Pinduoduo's app in late February.
2. **Exploits removed**: On March 5, Pinduoduo issued a new update that removed the exploits, according to two experts who CNN spoke to.
3. **Team disbanded**: The team of engineers and product managers who developed the malware was disbanded by Pinduoduo two days after the update.
4. **Access to user data**: The malware allowed access to users' locations, contacts, calendars, notifications, and photo albums without their consent.
5. **Regulatory failure**: Tech policy experts say that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology should have detected the malware, but did not.
6. **Censorship**: A cybersecurity expert with 1.8 million followers on Weibo (a Chinese social media platform) was censored for making comments about the incident.
7. **Lack of understanding**: Some experts argue that regulators may not understand coding and programming, or technology in general.
The article highlights a failure of oversight by regulatory bodies in China, which is surprising given the country's efforts to increase regulation on Big Tech companies. The discovery of malware in Pinduoduo also raises concerns about user privacy and security in China.
**Key players:**
* Dark Navy (cybersecurity firm)
* Pinduoduo (Chinese e-commerce company)
* Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
* Cyberspace Administration of China
* Kendra Schaefer (tech policy expert)
* Sean Lyngaas (reporter)
**Geographic scope:** China
**Industry:** E-commerce, technology, cybersecurity
I'm not surprised that there's a malware on Pinduoduo, its just another example of how the tech industry is still evolving. The fact that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology didn't detect it earlier is a huge red flag. 
It shows that they're not doing their job properly. And the censorship of Kendra Schaefer? That's just unacceptable. It's like they're trying to silence people who are speaking truth to power. 
. That's not okay, but at least it raises awareness about this issue. Maybe we'll see more voices speaking up in the future.
. If you can't even trust your apps to keep your data safe, that's a major problem. We need better security measures in place, and fast 
.
First, it's Pinduoduo and now I'm reading about Weibo being censored for talking about this incident. It's like they're hiding something from us. The fact that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology didn't catch the malware is wild. They should at least be doing some kind of background checks on these companies before letting them operate freely. And what's with all the "experts" who are now talking about how regulatory bodies might not understand coding? Like, hello! That's what we're paying you for, right? 
i mean seriously tho, the fact that its on the chinese gov to fix this is wild 
like, how could they not catch this? Kendra Schaefer said somethin bout reguators not understandin tech lolol no kidding 
and now therez all this censorship drama...like whats next?! 
I'm so worried about the users who got affected by this malware 
. And what really gets me is that the regulators in China didn't catch it earlier 
I feel so bad for all these people who got their personal info hacked 
!
... i mean, how can a company like Pinduoduo not detect malware in their own app? 
... that's just crazy talk 
... or maybe, like, regulatory bodies just don't understand tech 
... idk man, i'm just thinking about all my personal info being compromised on Pinduoduo's app 
... gotta make sure to use 2fa and stuff now 
. It's like saying a doctor gets sued because they can't prevent all illnesses - it's just impossible to be perfect 
. The Ministry of Industry and Info Tech shoulda known better, imo 
. They're supposed to regulate tech companies, not just sit on their hands 
it's crazy that they didn't even detect the malware themselves, i mean what else are they not seeing? 
. And what's up with the regulatory bodies not doing their job? It's not just about oversight, it's about actual accountability 
. Kendra Schaefer's right on point - we need experts who get tech, not just politicians trying to sound smart 
. I'm not saying China's got nothing to do with this, but c'mon, Pinduoduo can't just sweep it under the rug and expect everything to be okay 
.
like whats going on in china? cant people talk freely about tech stuff without getting shut down? 
. Kendra Schaefer's point about regulatory bodies not understanding tech is a valid one, but it also highlights how we need better regulation and oversight in China 
. It's time for these companies to step up their security game and for regulators to get their act together 
i mean, we should be having a more open discussion about how to regulate tech in china, not trying to silence people who are trying to bring attention to the issue. and what's even crazier is that the team behind the malware was just disbanded like that? no real accountability or explanation for what happened