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John Scott-Railton Profile picture
@jsrailton
May 22, 2023 • 10 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X
Scrolly
Transparency: deleted thread about an article on how CN propaganda likely decontextualized & amplified a video of the Dalai Lama.

Because, though context matters, missing from that discussion is that it's also always ok to question the behavior of people w/authority. 1/
2/ And that "you misunderstood" is so commonly used to dismiss real allegations... that calling out China's deliberate decontextualization (and longstanding attempts to erase) Tibetan culture... without also front-ending this reality didn't strike a good balance.
3/ For those seeking context, Tibet's government in exile, as well as the Dalai Lama, have been subjected to relentless attacks and propaganda by China.

Much of it targeting a western audience.

It is part of a relentless drumbeat of repression. hrw.org/video-photos/i…
4/ Another more recent component of China's propaganda strategy around Tibet and other groups?

Influencers.

It is darkly ironic that they appear on YouTube, which is blocked within China.
aspi.org.au/report/frontie… ImageImageImage
5/ Tibetans, the government in exile, and the Dalai Lama himself are the longstanding targets and victims of concerted repression by China.

And China is constantly experimenting with new tactics to censor and block their voices.
reuters.com/article/china-… Image
6/ China has also been exceptionally active on platforms like #Twitter.

Some of this activity includes amplifying & promoting government narratives about minority groups.

With Twitter's blocking efforts gone, expect loads more...

(Pic 2021)
blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/c… Image
7/ Chinese efforts to shape the discourse aren't just limited to pushing propaganda narratives about minority groups.

Researchers have found evidence of networks targeting specific individuals, like female Asian journalists, for intense attacks.

axios.com/2022/06/03/chi… Image
8/ And it's not just bot accounts. An account of an individual who has worked for Chinese state-run media quickly showed up in the replies to my original tweets... repeatedly harassing and insulting people.
9/ The fact that you find as many headlines about Tibet is no accident.

China's efforts to prevent you from hearing Tibetan news, voices, context and perspectives extend far offline... and far outside China's borders.

codastory.com/authoritarian-… ImageImageImageImage
10/ Repression in Tibet (which is ruled by the #CCP) is *extreme* and seems designed to erase Tibetan identity & culture.

The Dalai Lama and Tibet's Central Tibetan Administration (government in exile) are based in Dharamshala, India.

freedomhouse.org/country/tibet/… ImageImageImageImage

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More from @jsrailton

John Scott-Railton Profile picture
Jan 23
NEW: US seeks extradition of Israeli private spy over sprawling hacking against 🇺🇸American nonprofits.

Amit Forlit's alleged customer? US lobbying firm @DCIGroup... representing @exxonmobil

Extradition filings in UK give fresh peek into this wild case 1/Image
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2/ The case was triggered back in 2018, when US-based nonprofits targeted by hackers requested that @citizenlab notify the authorities.

In 2020, we went public with the investigation, alongside @jc_stubbs @razhael & @Bing_Chris 👇

3/ Fast forward to today's efforts to extradite Amit Forlit, who was arrested at Heathrow last year.

He's actually the second Israeli private investigator charged in this massive hacking scheme targeting Americans.

The first, Aviram Azari, was arrested in 2019, convicted & is serving out his sentence.

justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/i…Image
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Read 7 tweets
John Scott-Railton Profile picture
Dec 23, 2024
The volume of scam phone calls targeting elderly people in the US is insane.

Anyone that has visited an aging person knows what I'm talking about.

Ring after ring.

Several calls a day isn't out of the ordinary each of them a risk of wiping out their savings.

It's an untenable situation and will only get worse without focused government action.
Phone predators constantly target your parents.

Foreign scam call centers are running on an industrial scale.

Efforts phone companies are making are obviously not up to the task.

Just ask any retired person you know when they last got a scam call.
The constant phone scamming of elderly Americans is like an opportunistic infection.

It is a symptom showing that the US phone system's defenses against foreign abuses are diminished.

With increasingly clever AI/ deepfake voices & automation, the problem is set to get worse.
Read 4 tweets
John Scott-Railton Profile picture
Dec 23, 2024
VPN advertising is the most common source of security misinformation that I encounter.

By far.

So many people misplace their trust in dubious consumer VPN products.

The industry is a scourge.
VPNs don't do most of the things that podcasters imply they do.

Security:
Coffee shop attacks on unencrypted logins are a thing of a decade ago.

VPNs won't stop even the dumbest spyware & phishing.

Privacy:
Advertisers still know it's you when you turn on a VPN... they use many other identifying signals from your device, like your browser & advertising IDs. Those don't change when you turn on a VPN.
Trust:
A lot of VPN companies are shady.... and the industry is consolidating fast around some questionable players with concerning histories.

When you turn on a VPN you entrust all of your data to those companies.
Read 7 tweets
John Scott-Railton Profile picture
Dec 21, 2024
BREAKING: NSO Group liable for #Pegasus hacking of @WhatsApp users.

Big win for spyware victims.

Big loss for NSO.

Bad time to be a spyware company.

Landmark case. Huge implications. 1/ 🧵Image
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2/ In 2019, 1,400 @WhatsApp users were targeted with #Pegasus.

WhatsApp did the right thing & sued NSO Group.

NSO has spent 5 years trying to claim that they are above the law.

And engaged in all sorts of maneuvering.

With this order, the music stopped and NSO is now without a chair.Image
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3/ Today, the court decided that enough was enough with NSO's gambits & efforts to hide source code.

Judge Hamilton granted @WhatsApp's motion for summary judgement against the #Pegasus spyware maker.

The judge finds NSO's hacking violated the federal Computer Fraud & Abuse Act (#CFAA), California state anti-fraud law #CDFA, and was a breach of contract.

What happens next? The trial proceeds only on the issue of resolving damages stemming from NSO's hacking.

Order: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco…Image
Read 12 tweets
John Scott-Railton Profile picture
Dec 18, 2024
NEW: US considering ban on @TPLINK routers.

Company has a majority of the US market share for homes & small biz.

Concerns stem from repeated use in cyberattacks from #China & concerns over supply chain security.

Reportedly an office of @CommerceGov has subpoenaed the company. 1/

Story by @heathersomervil @dnvolz & @aviswanathaImage
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2/ @TPLINK has quickly grown market share, even as concerns have grown over vulnerabilities in the routers being used in #China-linked hacking operations.

wsj.com/politics/natio…Image
3/ As Microsoft's @MsftSecIntel reported earlier this year, for example, #TPLINK routers make up the bulk of the CovertNetwork-1658 attack infrastructure.

This operator was conducting so-called password spray attacks, and taking steps to be discrete.

The credentials are then used by multiple #China-based threat actors....

microsoft.com/en-us/security…Image
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Read 4 tweets
John Scott-Railton Profile picture
Dec 18, 2024
Use only end-to-end encrypted communications says @CISAgov.

YES!

End-to-end encryption is critical infrastructure for a safe society.

Plenty of other solid guidance for mobile users at risk here.

Let's look at their #iPhone & #Android-specific recs... 1/Image
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2/ @CISAgov's top recommendation for Apple users is to✅ enable #LockdownMode

It's my top guidance for high-risk #iPhone users..

Because as researchers tracking sophisticated threats we see Lockdown Mode blunt advanced attacks...

Other solid guidance:

✅Protect your DNS
✅Disable fallback to SMS
✅Enroll in iCloud Private Relay
✅Trim App permissions.Image
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3/ @CISAgov's guidance for #Android starts from the unavoidable fact that many Android manufacturers truly don't respect users security or privacy.

So ✅pick a company that won't leave you insecure after 2-3 years.

Other good guidance here includes...
✅ Only use RCS with end-to-end encryption
✅ Using Android Private DNS
✅ Use Enhanced Protection for Safe Browsing
✅ Google Play Protect
✅ Manage permissions.

cisa.gov/sites/default/…Image
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Read 4 tweets

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