🛠️ DOGE.gov hacked, TikTok returns, Android spyware exposed
Good morning. It’s Friday, February 14. Today we are covering:
Anyone Can Push Updates to the DOGE.gov Website
Apple, Google Restore TikTok App After Assurances From Trump
Spyware maker caught distributing malicious Android apps for years
Zuckerberg's rightward policy shift puts Meta staffers on edge, targets Apple
China's electric vehicle giants are betting big on humanoid robots
Let’s dive in
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Anyone Can Push Updates to the DOGE.gov Website
By Jason Koebler via 404 Media
Doge.gov, a website tracking Elon Musk’s federal government cuts, is insecure and vulnerable to unauthorized database edits, with prank messages already appearing on the live site.
The site, launched after Musk’s claim of transparency, was hastily deployed and is not hosted on government servers, relying instead on Cloudflare Pages.
Web experts discovered the open database, warning that anyone can inject data into the site, raising concerns about its security and reliability.
𝕏: New from 404 Media: anyone can push updates to the http://Doge.gov site. Two sources independently found the issue, one made their own decision to deface the site. "THESE 'EXPERTS' LEFT THEIR DATABASE OPEN." - Joseph Cox (@josephfcox)
Apple, Google Restore TikTok App After Assurances From Trump
By Mark Gurman via Bloomberg
Apple and Google are restoring TikTok to their US app stores after receiving assurances from the US Attorney General that a ban won't be immediately enforced.
The app was removed last month to comply with 2024 legislation but will return following a 75-day enforcement delay ordered by President Trump.
The delay gives the administration time to reassess the law's implications, offering ByteDance a temporary reprieve.
𝕏: BREAKING: Apple to bring back TikTok to the U.S. App Store today following a letter from Trump AG Pam Bondi, sources tell me. - Mark Gurman (@markgurman)
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Spyware maker caught distributing malicious Android apps for years
By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai via TechCrunch
Italian spyware maker SIO has been distributing malicious Android apps disguised as WhatsApp and other popular tools to steal private data, targeting individuals through apps impersonating local telecom services.
The spyware, identified as Spyrtacus, can record calls, access messages, and capture images using a device's camera and microphone, with evidence suggesting potential involvement of Italian law enforcement agencies.
Google confirmed that the spyware was never available on Google Play and has blocked its activity since 2022, though SIO remains silent amid ongoing investigations into the broader Italian spyware industry.
𝕏: NEW: We caught another government spyware vendor, which made fake Android apps masquerading as WhatsApp and cellphone providers' apps. The spyware was made by SIO, which partners "with Police and Intelligence Agencies" and sells to Italian government. - Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai (@lorenzofb)
Zuckerberg's rightward policy shift puts Meta staffers on edge, targets Apple
By Jonathan Vanian via CNBC
Mark Zuckerberg is steering Meta toward a rightward policy shift, aligning with President Trump and censoring internal dissent, leaving employees uneasy about the company’s cultural and strategic direction.
Meta is intensifying its long-standing feud with Apple, criticizing the App Store's rules and filing an antitrust complaint in Brazil, aiming to redirect regulatory pressure away from itself.
The company's leadership shake-up, including Joel Kaplan taking the top policy role, signals a closer alignment with conservative policies, highlighted by the termination of DEI programs and relaxed content moderation.
China's electric vehicle giants are betting big on humanoid robots
By Caiwei Chen via MIT Technology Review
Chinese EV giants, including Li Auto, XPeng, and BYD, are heavily investing in humanoid robotics, leveraging their expertise in autonomous driving, sensors, and battery technology to diversify amid declining profit margins in the EV market.
China's supply chain dominance—controlling 63% of global robot components—enables companies like Unitree to sell robots at half the price of international competitors, positioning the country as a potential leader in mass robot production.
The Chinese government is driving this push through subsidies and initiatives like Robotics+, aiming to double manufacturing robot density by 2025, though AI and chip development challenges remain due to reliance on foreign tech leaders like Nvidia and Qualcomm.
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