UAE Denies Developing Popular Mideast App As Spy Tool 28 December 2019

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

UAE denies developing popular Mideast app as spy tool 28 December 2019 The United Arab Emirates on Saturday denied © 2019 AFP reports that a popular mobile application developed in the country was used for government spying. Apple and Google removed the ToTok app from their marketplaces last week following a report claiming it allowed the UAE government to track users' conversations, movements and other details. But the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said in a statement that UAE laws "prohibit any kind of data breach and unlawful interception". It continued: "The TRA reaffirms that all certified telecommunications applications in the UAE are in compliance with these standards." ToTok became popular by offering free calling and messaging to millions of users in countries like the UAE where internet calling services like Skype are blocked. But US intelligence officials and a security researcher determined the app was being used by the UAE government for detailed surveillance, The New York Times reported on December 22. Security researcher Patrick Wardle, who assisted the newspaper, said in a blog post that ToTok appeared to be part of a "mass surveillance operation", which "likely afforded in-depth insight in a large percentage of the country's population." ToTok appeared to trick users of iPhones and Android devices into handing over access to their location and private data on their devices, Wardle said. It was also promoted by what appeared to be fake reviews, he said. 1 / 2 APA citation: UAE denies developing popular Mideast app as spy tool (2019, December 28) retrieved 29 September 2021 from https://techxplore.com/news/2019-12-uae-denies-popular-mideast-app.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. 2 / 2 Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org).

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Uila Supported Apps
Uila Supported Applications and Protocols updated Oct 2020 Application/Protocol Name Full Description 01net.com 01net website, a French high-tech news site. 050 plus is a Japanese embedded smartphone application dedicated to 050 plus audio-conferencing. 0zz0.com 0zz0 is an online solution to store, send and share files 10050.net China Railcom group web portal. This protocol plug-in classifies the http traffic to the host 10086.cn. It also 10086.cn classifies the ssl traffic to the Common Name 10086.cn. 104.com Web site dedicated to job research. 1111.com.tw Website dedicated to job research in Taiwan. 114la.com Chinese web portal operated by YLMF Computer Technology Co. Chinese cloud storing system of the 115 website. It is operated by YLMF 115.com Computer Technology Co. 118114.cn Chinese booking and reservation portal. 11st.co.kr Korean shopping website 11st. It is operated by SK Planet Co. 1337x.org Bittorrent tracker search engine 139mail 139mail is a chinese webmail powered by China Mobile. 15min.lt Lithuanian news portal Chinese web portal 163. It is operated by NetEase, a company which 163.com pioneered the development of Internet in China. 17173.com Website distributing Chinese games. 17u.com Chinese online travel booking website. 20 minutes is a free, daily newspaper available in France, Spain and 20minutes Switzerland. This plugin classifies websites. 24h.com.vn Vietnamese news portal 24ora.com Aruban news portal 24sata.hr Croatian news portal 24SevenOffice 24SevenOffice is a web-based Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. 24ur.com Slovenian news portal 2ch.net Japanese adult videos web site 2Shared 2shared is an online space for sharing and storage.
[Show full text]
Analysys Mason Document
COVID-19: operators in the UAE should prepare for a gradual lift of the ban on VoIP apps after the crisis April 2020 Karim Yaici Telecoms regulators in Oman and the UAE lifted the ban on selected OTT VoIP and video conferencing apps (including Skype for Business and Zoom) in March 2020 to enable people to work and study from home in compliance with the social distancing guidelines brought in to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. However, popular consumer OTT apps such as WhatsApp and Skype were excluded from the list of authorised apps. The exceptional measures taken by the regulators are likely to last for at least a few weeks. The pressure from the public to extend this period and expand the list of permitted applications will increase, especially in the UAE. In this comment, we share results from Analysys Mason’s Connected Consumer Survey regarding the penetration of OTT services in the UAE, and argue that operators in the country should do more to prepare for the possibility of increased competition from OTT players post-crisis. OTT communications apps remain very popular in Oman and the UAE, despite regulators’ attempts to block or disrupt them Telecoms regulators in Oman and the UAE have adopted a strong defensive stance against OTT players by blocking the voice and video calling features of most OTT communications apps. In contrast, regulators in other countries in the Gulf Co-operation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) have gradually allowed more OTT apps to be used, including WhatsApp. Operators in Oman and the UAE have enforced this ban while partnering with third-party OTT service providers, such as BOTIM, to offer app-to-app calling tariffs (in the UAE) and OTT apps for making international calls (such as Ooredoo Talk in Oman).
[Show full text]
Data Is Dangerous: Comparing the Risks That the United States, Canada and Germany See in Data Troves
Institute for International Economic Policy Working Paper Series Elliott School of International Affairs The George Washington University Data Is Dangerous: Comparing the Risks That the United States, Canada and Germany See in Data Troves IIEP-WP-2020-5 Susan A. Aaronson George Washington University April 2020 Institute for International Economic Policy 1957 E St. NW, Suite 502 Voice: (202) 994-5320 Fax: (202) 994-5477 Email: [email protected] Web: iiep.gwu.edu CIGI Papers No. 241 — April 2020 Data Is Dangerous: Comparing the Risks That the United States, Canada and Germany See in Data Troves Susan Ariel Aaronson CIGI Papers No. 241 — April 2020 Data Is Dangerous: Comparing the Risks That the United States, Canada and Germany See in Data Troves Susan Ariel Aaronson About CIGI Credits The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is an independent, non- Director, Global Economy Robert Fay partisan think tank whose peer-reviewed research and trusted analysis influence Program Manager Heather McNorgan policy makers to innovate. Our global network of multidisciplinary researchers and strategic partnerships provide policy solutions for the digital era with one goal: to Publications Editor Susan Bubak improve people’s lives everywhere. Headquartered in Waterloo, Canada, CIGI Senior Publications Editor Jennifer Goyder has received support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario Graphic Designer Brooklynn Schwartz and founder Jim Balsillie. À propos du CIGI Le Centre pour l’innovation dans la gouvernance internationale (CIGI) est un groupe de réflexion indépendant et non partisan dont les recherches evaluées par des pairs et les analyses fiables incitent les décideurs à innover.
[Show full text]
Indian Telcos Asked to Enable Social App Blocks Following Attacks
Indian Telcos Asked To Enable Social App Blocks Following Attacks ERROR_GETTING_IMAGES-1 Indian Telcos Asked To Enable Social App Blocks Following Attacks 1 / 4 2 / 4 A GPRS-enabled mobile phone uses packet mode technique to transfer data and ... terrorist attacks across the city of Mumbai, India on 26th November, 2008. ... Government of India's Order dated 7thJuly, 2003 on the subject of Blocking of websites. ... widespread adoption of new telecom 506 Legal Regulation of Cybercafés.. ToTok, an Emirati messaging app that has been downloaded to millions of ... ToTok surged to become one of the most downloaded social apps in the ... The government blocks specific functions of apps like WhatsApp and ... Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant, recently promoted ToTok in advertisements. Delhi Police had requested Airtel/Vodafone/Idea/Jio/MTNL/BSNL to ... Related Article: CAA Protests: Internet Ban Hits Telcos The Hardest ... Vodafone India has also confirmed blocking internet and cellular services in parts of the city. ... in the light of the brutal attacks on students in many parts of the country.. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is a statutory body set up by the Government ... conditions for the growth of telecommunications in India to enable the country to ... On 6 June 2017, TRAI launched three new apps and a web portal to ensure ... "SC strikes down 'arbitrary, unconstitutional' call drop penalty".. Social media access in Valley: Telcos race to block VPNs ... A female journalist uses internet on her mobile phone after the ... internet service providers in the Valley to allow access to only white-listed websites, ... Stay up to date on all the latest Nation news with The New Indian Express App.
[Show full text]
Original Research Care, Support and Therapy Service of HIV Patients with the “SATE Krembung” Application
Jurnal Ners Vol. 14, No. 3, Special Issue 2019 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons http://dx.doi.org/10.20473/jn.v14i3(si).17104 Attribution 4.0 International License Original Research Care, Support and Therapy Service of HIV Patients with the “SATE Krembung” Application Totok Indarto1, Arif Rahman Nurdianto2 and Dyah Ayu Febiyanti3 1 Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia 2 Primary Health Care of Trosobo, Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia 3 General Hospital of Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY Introduction: The prevalence and incidence of HIV and AIDS in Sidoarjo is Received: December 26, 2019 still high. Today, the adherence of patients to several ART services in Accepted: December 31, 2019 Sidoarjo is quite low and varied. Therefore the researchers want to find out the effectiveness of registration using “the SATE Krembung” application in KEYWORDS terms of service effectiveness, reducing the Lost Follow Up (LFU) and care; support; HIV; Sate Krembung; increasing patient adherence in Krembung Primary Health Care. Methods: The study was cross-sectional. The use of alternative ART service CONTACT modes was done via “the SATE Krembung” application as an integrated Totok Indarto queue system. The patients who participated in this study were HIV patients [email protected] at Krembung Primary Health Care who accessed ART at Krembung Primary Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Health Care within the age range of 20 - 60 years. The total number of Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia samples in this test was 16 patients. Results: Registration using “the SATE Krembung” application can reduce the waiting time for getting access to services for the HIV patients who plan on getting CST services and ART collection.
[Show full text]
3000 Applications
Uila Supported Applications and Protocols updated March 2021 Application Protocol Name Description 01net.com 05001net plus website, is a Japanese a French embedded high-tech smartphonenews site. application dedicated to audio- 050 plus conferencing. 0zz0.com 0zz0 is an online solution to store, send and share files 10050.net China Railcom group web portal. This protocol plug-in classifies the http traffic to the host 10086.cn. It also classifies 10086.cn the ssl traffic to the Common Name 10086.cn. 104.com Web site dedicated to job research. 1111.com.tw Website dedicated to job research in Taiwan. 114la.com Chinese cloudweb portal storing operated system byof theYLMF 115 Computer website. TechnologyIt is operated Co. by YLMF Computer 115.com Technology Co. 118114.cn Chinese booking and reservation portal. 11st.co.kr ThisKorean protocol shopping plug-in website classifies 11st. the It ishttp operated traffic toby the SK hostPlanet 123people.com. Co. 123people.com Deprecated. 1337x.org Bittorrent tracker search engine 139mail 139mail is a chinese webmail powered by China Mobile. 15min.lt ChineseLithuanian web news portal portal 163. It is operated by NetEase, a company which pioneered the 163.com development of Internet in China. 17173.com Website distributing Chinese games. 17u.com 20Chinese minutes online is a travelfree, daily booking newspaper website. available in France, Spain and Switzerland. 20minutes This plugin classifies websites. 24h.com.vn Vietnamese news portal 24ora.com Aruban news portal 24sata.hr Croatian news portal 24SevenOffice 24SevenOffice is a web-based Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. 24ur.com Slovenian news portal 2ch.net Japanese adult videos web site 2Checkout (acquired by Verifone) provides global e-commerce, online payments 2Checkout and subscription billing solutions.
[Show full text]
Govtech: Evoteq Riverbed’S Cdo
ISSUE 337| APRIL 2020 TAHAWULTECH.COM GOVTECH: EVOTEQ RIVERBED’S CDO AWS’ ENTERPRISE STRATEGIST UIPATH’S MEA VP ON THE FRONTLINE MUBARAKA MUBARAK ALI IBRAHIM, DIRECTOR OF IT DEPARTMENT AT THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND PROTECTION (MOHAP), OUTLINES HOW CNS MIDDLE EAST EQUIPPED THEM WITH THE IT INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIRED TO REACT TO COVID-19 PUBLICATION LICENSED BY DUBAI PRODUCTION CITY, DCCA Data storage that takes you from insights to innovation. Find insights faster and shift t oward i nnovation with storage sol utions that r ange f rom pri mary st orage t o cloud-enabled i nfrastructure, from the #1 in e nterprise storage10 – Dell EMC. Learn more a t D ellEMC.com/Storage Primary Storage The right combination of scalability, eciency, intelligence and multi-cloud integration. PowerMax Dell EMC Unity XT PowerVault The world’s fastest storage array,15 designed for No compromise midrange storage – simple, Aordable entry-level block storage mission-critical workloads with end-to-end NVMe, unied and NVMe-ready with best-in-class optimized for SAN and DAS workloads. real-time machine learning and up to 10 million IOPS.16 eciency for a multi-cloud world. SC Series Ecient, federated storage with workload XtremIO X2 A ll-Flash Array mobility that delivers transformational All- Dramatically improve IT operational eciency, Flash or hybrid performance. transform application workows with copy data management and inline data reduction. Cloud-based analytics and monitoring, like a tness tracker for your data center. Supports Dell EMC Unity XT, SC Series, XtremIO, VMAX, PowerMax, and Connectrix. File and Object Storage Manage the rapid growth of le and unstructured data.
[Show full text]
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia Sign Deal to Resume Joint Oil Output
RABIA ALTHANI 28, 1441 AH WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2019 28 Pages Max 23º Min 07º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 18019 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Kuwait and Saudi Arabia sign deal to resume joint oil output Agreement also inked on demarcation of land and maritime borders By Faten Omar and Agencies KUWAIT: Saudi Arabia and Kuwait signed agreements yesterday to resume pumping at two major oilfields in a shared neutral zone shut for five years due to a bilateral disagreement. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah and Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud inked the deals. Kuwaiti Minister of Oil and Minister of Electricity and Water Khaled Al-Fadhel and the Saudi minister of energy signed a memo of understanding. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia’s collective histories are dot- ted with instances of “exemplary cooperation”, Fadhel said during a lavish ceremony held at Wafra Joint Operations later yesterday. Production from the Khafji and Wafra fields will not affect the two countries’ OPEC commitments to reduce oil output, added the minister, expressing hope that resumed production would pay dividends for the Kuwaiti and Saudi economies. Prince Abdulaziz said talks between his country and Kuwait on the neutral zone in the past few years focused more on “harmony” rather than striking a deal. On the sidelines of the deal’s signing ceremony, the Saudi minis- ter commended the brotherly relationship between HH KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohamed Al-Sabah KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah receives yesterday at the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- exchanges documents with Saudi Oil Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman during Bayan Palace Waleed Musaed Al-Tabtabaei (left) and Mohammad Nayef Al-Dosari and Sabah and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, describing an official ceremony at the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry headquarters in Kuwait City their families, who thanked him for granting them Amiri pardons.
[Show full text]
NSO Group) Affiliated with the Years in Jail
DarkMatter Threat Actor Profile OFFENSIVE CYBER GROUP IN DEPTH A Macquarie University CiLab - PACE Project 2021 | JANUARY CYBER INTELLIGENCE LAB BACKGROUND BACKGROUND Ties to United Arab Emirates Government and its Signals Intelligence Agency (SIA), formerly known as National Electronic Security Authority (NESA) TARGETS Human Rights Activists Journalists Governments Terrorists MOTIVE State Surveillance DarkMatter promotes itself as a top tier cyber defence group, and claims to offer services protection against potential threats for government agencies, enterprises and individuals. It leverages a range of protocols, products and services, such as network security, bug sweeping and a 'cyber-secure' mobile phone. DarkMatter was founded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2014 following Project Raven, an offensive operational division of the UAE’s Signals Intelligence Agency (SIA), which monitored opposition to the Emirates government. The Project hired former intelligence operatives from the USA and other countries, including whistleblower Lori Stroud from the NSA who exposed widespread abuses. Stroud professed that fellow Americans, political rivals, human rights activists and those criticising the Emirati government were being targeted. Allegedly a hacking service, DarkMatter utilises surveillance techniques taught by ex-NSA intelligence officers to hack and shut down threats - all being concealed under the idea of national security. Through the analysis of the company’s background, executive team, technical means, principal targets as well as its ties with other organisations, we can conclude that DarkMatter is not a typical cybersecurity company. It can be more closely described as offensive cyber for hire. They assist the UAE and other gulf nations and their intelligence agencies to conduct offensive cyber intrusions and surveillance of individuals both at home and abroad that are critical of their actions.
[Show full text]
United Arab Emirates 2019 Human Rights Report
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 2019 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven semiautonomous emirates with a resident population of approximately 9.4 million, of whom an estimated 11 percent are citizens. The rulers of the seven emirates constitute the Federal Supreme Council, the country’s highest legislative and executive body. The council selects a president and a vice president from its membership, and the president appoints the prime minister and cabinet. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate, is president, although Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi exercises most executive authority. The emirates are under patriarchal rule with political allegiance defined by loyalty to tribal leaders, leaders of the individual emirates, and leaders of the federation. A limited, appointed electorate participates in periodic elections for the partially elected Federal National Council (FNC), a consultative body that examines, reviews, and recommends changes to legislation and may discuss topics for legislation. The last election was in October, when appointed voters elected 20 FNC members. Citizens may express their concerns directly to their leaders through traditional consultative mechanisms such as the open majlis (forum). Civilian authorities maintained effective control over the security forces. Each emirate maintained a local police force called a general directorate, which was officially a branch of the federal Ministry of Interior. All emirate-level general directorates of police enforced their respective emirate’s laws autonomously. They also enforced federal laws within their emirate in coordination with each other under the federal ministry. The federal government maintained federal armed forces under the Ministry of Defense for external security.
[Show full text]
Digital Activism and Authoritarian Adaptation in the Middle East August 2021 Contents
POMEPS STUDIES 43 Digital Activism and Authoritarian Adaptation in the Middle East August 2021 Contents Preface . 3 Larry Diamond and Eileen Donahoe, Stanford University Digital Activism and Authoritarian Adaptation in the Middle East . 4 Marc Lynch, Project on Middle East Political Science Binary Threat: How Governments’ Cyber Laws and Practice Undermine Human Rights in the MENA Region . 8 Ahmed Shaheed, University of Essex, & Benjamin Greenacre, City University of New York The Implementation of Digital Surveillance Infrastructures in the Gulf . 16 James Shires, Leiden University The web (in)security of MENA civil society and media . 22 Alexei Abrahams, University of Toronto Beyond Liberation Technology? The Recent Uses of Social Media by Pro-Democracy Activists . 29 Joshua A. Tucker, New York University Chinese Digital Authoritarianism and Its Global Impact . 35 Xiao Qiang, University of California at Berkeley Transnational Digital Repression in the MENA Region .. 41 Marwa Fatafta, Access Now Social media manipulation in the MENA: Inauthenticity, Inequality, and Insecurity . 48 Andrew Leber, Harvard University and Alexei Abrahams, University of Toronto Tracking Adversaries and First Responding to Disinfo Ops: The Evolution of Deception and Manipulation Tactics on Gulf Twitter . 56 Marc Owen Jones, Hamid Bin Khalifa University Follow the Money for Better Digital Rights in the Arab Region . 63 Afef Abrougui, Independent Consultant and Researcher and Mohamad Najem, Executive Director, SMEX Digital Orientalism: #SaveSheikhJarrah and Arabic Content Moderation . 69 Mahsa Alimardani and Mona Elswah, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford Official Foreign Influence Operations: International Broadcasters in the Arab Online Sphere . 76 Alexandra A. Siegel, University of Colorado - Boulder Russian Digital Influence Operations in Turkey 2015-2020 .
[Show full text]
Indonesian Domestic Oil and Gas a Snapshot † Platform
October - December 2014 www.spe.or.id Indonesian Domestic Oil and Gas A Snapshot † platform Oilfield Review app now available for the Android Oilfield Review Apps The Schlumberger Oilfield Review app for Android† devices is now available free of charge on the Google Play† store. This new app complements the iPad‡ app, which is available at the Apple‡ iTunes‡ online store. For Android devices, including phones, this is a stand-alone app; accessing content on the iPad device is done through the Newsstand. An iPhone‡ compatible version is in devel- opment and will be available in the near future. Oilfield Review communicates advances in finding and producing hydrocarbons to oilfield professionals. Articles from the journal are augmented on the apps with animations and videos, which help explain concepts and theories beyond the capabilities of static images. The apps also offer access to several years of archived issues in a compact format that retains the high-quality images and content you’ve come to expect from the print version of Oilfield Review. To download and install the app, search for “Schlumberger Oilfield Review” in the App Store‡ or Google Play online store or scan the QR code below, which will take you directly to the device-specific source. †Android and Google Play are marks of Google Inc. ‡Apple, App Store, iPad, iPhone and iTunes are marks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. 14-OR-0004 Advertisements Contents Dear SPE Members; 3 Contents & Advertisement SPE Java Section Newsletter is issued every other month; they are printed 1,500 copies per issue, 4 Chairman’s Message circulated among members, industry leaders, stakeholders (staff and manager), and students.
[Show full text]