One of China’s most popular apps has the ability to spy on its users, say experts | CNN Business

The article discusses the discovery of malware in Pinduoduo, a popular Chinese e-commerce platform. The malware was found to be collecting users' personal data without their consent, including location information, contacts, calendars, notifications, and photo albums.

The malware was developed by a team of engineers and product managers at Pinduoduo who were tasked with exploiting security vulnerabilities in the app. However, after the discovery of the malware, the team was disbanded, and many of its members were transferred to other departments within the company.

Pinduoduo issued an update to remove the malware, but some cybersecurity experts have questioned why regulators did not take action sooner. The incident highlights the challenges faced by regulatory bodies in understanding technology and coding, which can make it difficult for them to detect and address threats like this one.

The article also notes that Pinduoduo has been able to grow its user base despite a regulatory clampdown on Big Tech that began in 2020. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has regularly published lists of apps found to have undermined user privacy or other rights, but Pinduoduo did not appear on any of these lists.

Overall, the article suggests that the discovery of malware in Pinduoduo highlights the need for greater oversight and regulation in the tech industry, particularly when it comes to issues related to data protection and security.

Key points:

* Malware was found in Pinduoduo's app, collecting users' personal data without consent.
* The malware was developed by a team of engineers and product managers at Pinduoduo who were tasked with exploiting security vulnerabilities.
* After the discovery of the malware, the team was disbanded, and many of its members were transferred to other departments within the company.
* Pinduoduo issued an update to remove the malware, but some cybersecurity experts have questioned why regulators did not take action sooner.
* The incident highlights the challenges faced by regulatory bodies in understanding technology and coding.
* Pinduoduo has been able to grow its user base despite a regulatory clampdown on Big Tech that began in 2020.

Sources:

* Dark Navy: A Chinese cybersecurity firm that first raised suspicions about malware in Pinduoduo's app.
* Weibo: A Twitter-like platform where some cybersecurity experts questioned why regulators had not taken action against Pinduoduo.
* Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: The Chinese government agency responsible for regulating tech companies like Pinduoduo.
* Cyberspace Administration of China: The Chinese government agency responsible for regulating online content and activities.

Note: The article does not provide specific dates or times for the events described, but it mentions that the regulatory clampdown on Big Tech began in 2020.
 
I mean, who's surprised that a Chinese e-commerce platform has malware 🙄? Like, it's not like they're trying to hide it or anything (just kidding, I'm sure they are). Seriously though, this is just another example of how tech companies think they can get away with stuff because they have the money and influence. Newsflash: you can't just pay your way out of being a bad boy 🤑.

I'm not saying regulators should be all over Pinduoduo's case or anything (because let's face it, that's a whole other can of worms), but I do think there needs to be more oversight when it comes to data protection and security. It's not like they're the only ones who've messed up in this regard 🤦‍♂️.

I guess what really gets me is how Pinduoduo was able to grow its user base despite all these regulatory issues 📈. Like, I get it, there's still a huge market for Chinese e-commerce platforms and stuff, but come on! You'd think they'd want to be seen as more responsible, you know? 😐

Anyway, kudos to Dark Navy for spotting the malware and sounding the alarm 🎉. And props to the cybersecurity experts who are keeping everyone on their toes 👏.

Oh, and can someone please explain to me how a regulatory clampdown on Big Tech began in 2020 but still allows Pinduoduo to fly under the radar? 🤔 I'm genuinely curious 🤷‍♂️.
 
I'm telling you, this Pinduoduo thing is just a mess 🤯. I mean, they're collecting all this personal data without even asking users if it's cool or not, and now there's malware all over the place? It's like they don't care about user security at all 💔.

And what really gets my goat is that some of these cybersecurity experts are saying regulators should have done more to stop this earlier. Like, come on guys, how hard is it to understand coding and tech stuff? 🤦‍♂️

But you know who's benefiting from all this? Pinduoduo itself. They've been able to grow their user base despite the regulatory clampdown, which just goes to show that a little bit of wrongdoing can go a long way 😒.

We need more oversight and regulation in the tech industry, no question about it 🚫. We can't keep relying on "oh, we'll just update our app and all will be fine" nonsense. Something needs to change, and fast ⏰.
 
man this is so disturbing ... i mean i know these things happen but pinduoduo's got a lot of users and they're just leaving their data out there like it's nobody's business 🤯♀️... i think the thing is that tech companies are just too big and complex for regulators to keep up with... it's hard enough for them to understand what's going on behind the scenes, let alone anticipate every possible security threat 🤓... but still we need more oversight and regulation here, 'cause who knows what other malware or data breaches are waiting in the wings 🚨...
 
🤖 This is wild, dude! Malware in Pinduoduo? That's some crazy stuff right there. I mean, who gets away with collecting users' personal data without consent? 🚫 It's like they thought they were above the law or something.

But for real, what's going on with the regulators? You'd think they'd be all over this, especially since it's been a year since Big Tech got clamped down. Is it because Pinduoduo is one of those "special" Chinese companies that can get away with anything?

I don't know about you guys, but I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on Pinduoduo from now on. Can't trust these platforms with our personal info, right? 🤐

One thing's for sure: we need more oversight and regulation in the tech industry. It's not like this is the first time we've seen this kind of thing happen... just look at Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. 🙄
 
just saw this news about pinduoduo... its crazy how they got away with collecting users data without consent lol... think its a good thing some cybersecurity folks did the research tho 🤖📊 and exposed it, would've been bad if people just kept using the app like nothing was wrong 😅
 
OMG 😲 like this is soooo messed up! Malware in Pinduoduo? Collecting users' personal data without consent? That's like a total no-no 🚫. I mean, regulators should be all over this ASAP 💥 but what's going on here? Is it because they don't understand how tech works or something? Like, didn't they see the warning signs? It's crazy that Pinduoduo was able to grow its user base despite this huge security breach 🤯. And now that the team is disbanded, who's gonna make sure something like this doesn't happen again? 🤔
 
this is just great... another major tech company in China gets away with collecting users' data without consent 🤦‍♂️. I mean, who needs regulations when you've got a team of engineers and product managers just waiting to exploit security vulnerabilities? 💻 it's like they're begging for cyber attacks. and now the "experts" are questioning why regulators didn't take action sooner... yeah right, because those regulators are probably just too slow or incompetent 😴. but seriously, how do you even detect this kind of thing when you don't speak the language? 🤔 and meanwhile, Pinduoduo just grows its user base like it's nobody's business 📈. great job, China 🙄.
 
omg u no i used to work at a startup and they got hacked like 3 times lol i remember one time we lost all our customer data and had to refund everyone 🤦‍♀️ anyway back to this pinduoduo thingy so they got caught with malware collecting users' info without consent that's like super bad news imo and why didnt regulators take action sooner is anyone knows but maybe its because chinese gov is still figuring out how to regulate tech industry 🤔 btw i had a similar experience at my old job where our dev team was working on a project that was supposed to be secure but it ended up being vulnerable lol took me ages to fix
 
Ugh I'm still shaking my head over this 😱 Pinduoduo's malware incident is a major wake-up call for all of us online users. I mean can you believe they were actually collecting our data without our consent? 🤯 That's just creepy. And what really gets me is that regulators didn't catch on sooner. Like, how are they supposed to regulate something we don't even understand? 💻 It's like trying to police a whole different language. Anyway, it's good to see Pinduoduo got the update out ASAP and all. But seriously, this highlights how we need more oversight in tech - maybe some extra checks to make sure these companies aren't getting away with stuff 🤔.
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole Pinduoduo thing... I mean, who expects their favorite e-commerce app to be harvesting all their personal info without asking? 🤯 It's like, what happened here? Did the devs just not care or something?

It's wild that some cybersecurity experts are questioning why regulators didn't jump on this sooner. Like, come on, isn't it kinda obvious when you're collecting users' data willy-nilly? But I guess the thing is, tech and coding can be super complex, even for those who know what they're doing.

Anyway, it's not like Pinduoduo was hiding under a rock or anything – they issued an update to get rid of the malware ASAP. Still, you gotta wonder how this stuff slips through the cracks sometimes. Can we just get some more oversight in the tech world? 🤔
 
I'm really surprised Pinduoduo was able to get away with this malware thingy for so long. I mean, you'd think regulators would've caught wind of something like this and shut them down ASAP 🤔. But apparently, the Chinese government's got its hands full trying to keep up with all the tech companies out there.

And let's be real, if a company like Pinduoduo can get away with collecting users' personal data without consent, it sets a pretty bad precedent for the rest of us 💻. I mean, how much more are we gonna see of this kind of thing before someone gets hurt or worse? The whole thing just seems super sketchy 🎃.

I'm not trying to bash Pinduoduo or the Chinese government, but it's clear that there needs to be some serious oversight and regulation in place when it comes to data protection and security 🔒. We need to make sure our personal info is safe from companies like this who are just looking for ways to exploit us 🚫.

It's also worth noting that Pinduoduo has been able to grow its user base despite all these regulations being put in place. That just seems super suspicious to me 🤷‍♀️. I mean, how can a company like Pinduoduo really be growing when they're still getting away with malware and data collection shenanigans? It's just not adding up 📊.

Anyway, I think this whole thing needs a lot more attention and scrutiny from the media and regulators alike 👀. We need to make sure that companies like Pinduoduo are held accountable for their actions and that our personal info is protected 💯.
 
This is a super concerning development 🤔. I mean, think about it - Pinduoduo, one of China's biggest e-commerce platforms, was secretly collecting users' personal data without their consent. It's like they were experimenting with this stuff behind closed doors 🚫. And now that someone stumbled upon it, the team responsible is all but gone, and many members are being transferred to other departments - it's like they're trying to sweep it under the rug 🧹.

I'm not surprised that regulators didn't take action sooner though. I mean, tech companies like Pinduoduo are constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible with coding and technology 💻. It's hard for anyone who isn't a expert in these areas to keep up - let alone regulators 🤦‍♂️. But at the same time, it's still really worrying that such a massive breach went undetected for so long.

It's also interesting that Pinduoduo has been able to grow its user base despite all this - I guess they've just been careful not to get caught 😏. But we can't afford to be lax when it comes to data protection and security. We need stricter regulations in place to prevent these kinds of incidents from happening again 🔒.
 
You know what's weird about this Pinduoduo malware situation? It's like a mirror held up to our own tech industry here 🤔. I mean, we're always talking about data protection and security, but what happens when the big players don't want to follow the rules? It's like they're playing a game of cat and mouse with regulators 🐈.

And have you noticed how Pinduoduo has been able to grow its user base despite all this regulatory stuff? That's like saying "we can do it without following the rules" - isn't that just a recipe for disaster? 😬

I think what we're seeing here is a classic case of the "regulatory lag" problem. It's like the government and regulators are playing catch-up with these tech companies, but they're not catching up fast enough 🏃‍♂️.

We need to have some real tough love for our Big Tech players, you know? We can't just let them do whatever they want without consequences 💔. And that means having more robust regulations in place, and enforcing them consistently.

It's time for us to take a hard look at how we're regulating the tech industry, and make sure we're putting users first 📈. No more excuses - it's time for real change!
 
it's crazy how one of China's biggest e-commerce platforms gets away with collecting users' personal data without consent... like, what even is the point of having regulations if Pinduoduo can just ignore them? 🤔 and I'm not surprised that cybersecurity experts are questioning why regulators didn't take action sooner - it's not like this is the first time we've seen Big Tech companies getting caught with their hands in the cookie jar... but still, it's disheartening to see how Pinduoduo has managed to grow its user base despite all these issues. 🙄 and can we talk about how the fact that the team behind the malware was disbanded and its members transferred doesn't necessarily mean that the problem is solved? I'd like to see some real consequences for those responsible... 👊
 
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