Russian President Putin Signs Law Making It Mandatory To Have Russian Apps On Smartphones And Computers

Reuters: Putin signs law making Russian apps mandatory on smartphones, computers

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed legislation requiring all smartphones, computers and smart TV sets sold in the country to come pre-installed with Russian software.

The law, which will come into force on July 1 next year, has been met with resistance by some electronics retailers, who say the legislation was adopted without consulting them.

The law has been presented as a way to help Russian IT firms compete with foreign companies and spare consumers from having to download software upon purchasing a new device.

The country’s mobile phone market is dominated by foreign companies including Apple, Samsung and Huawei. The legislation signed by Putin said the government would come up with a list of Russian applications that would need to be installed on the different devices.

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WNU Editor: Everyone in Russia is thinking that these apps will have some links to the FSB. But as I tell all my friends and family in Russia who are worried about this .... the FSB does not need to have an app on your smart phone to know what you are doing. They are already structured through the communication providers to spy on you if they want to.

Is The Popular Mobile App 'FaceApp' A Security Risk?

Inc.: FaceApp Went Viral. Now the FBI Is Calling It a 'Potential Counterintelligence Threat'

And the once-popular selfie-aging app isn't alone.

Over the summer, a mobile app called FaceApp briedly took the Internet and the mobile world by storm with a face-aging feature that let any user take a selfie and immediately see what they'd look like when they're old.

As it caught fire, the app became a popular topic in the news, and on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook feeds were overrun with pictures of aging friends.

While all of that was happening, Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer of New York wondered whether the app's developer, Wireless Lab, which resides in Russia, posed a problem.

It took a few months, but today he received the answer he perhaps didn't want to receive.

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WNU Editor: I downloaded the app this summer and I love it. But this is a sign on how big of a problem this is going to be in the coming years. App developers in both Russia and China are prolific, and they are producing some impressive stuff. And yes, the security agencies in these countries can exploit them if they want to, but that in itself is a big risk. Once it is known that these apps are being used for intelligence purposes, the app will not only be deleted by most pf its users, but the perception will quickly develop that all apps from that country will be tainted.

U.S. Senators: TikTok App Poses Potential National Security Risk

TikTok has had real impacts on cultural trends in the years since its launch. For example, 'Old Town Road,' formerly the number one song in the world, picked up steam on TikTok

Daily Mail: US lawmakers are questioning whether China-based social media app TikTok poses national security threat

* Chinese social media app TikTok is being eyed as a potential security threat
* US lawmakers are calling on the intelligence community to assess the app
* Skeptics say TikTok may be exporting data on users to the Chinese government

Chinese social media upstart TikTok is being scrutinized by US lawmakers who question whether the app is a national security threat.

In a letter addressed to the US National Security Director, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican, are calling on intelligence officials to assess the potential risks posed by TikTok.

'With over 110 million downloads in the U.S. alone, TikTok is a potential counterintelligence threat we cannot ignore,' wrote the senators in their letter.

'Given these concerns, we ask that the Intelligence Community conduct an assessment of the national security risks posed by TikTok and other China-based content platforms operating in the U.S.'

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WNU Editor: Tic Tac is an incredibly popular app with hundreds of millions of users. It is also true that Islamic State militants have used this platform to promote propaganda videos .... ISIS has begun using teenage app TikTok to post shocking clips of victims being BEHEADED - sparking a frantic battle to delete the accounts (Daily Mail), as well as rising concerns that it can be used to influence elections and other political causes with disinformation. But for the U.S. the big concern is that this app may be exporting data on users to the Chinese government.If that is true the options are limited. Ban an app that 110 million Americans have downloaded, or permit it with all of its risks. Not much of a choice in my opinion.

More News On U.S. Senators Concerned That TikTok App Poses Potential National Security Risk

TikTok app poses potential national security risk, says senior Democrat -- The Guardian
Senators call for intelligence probe into Chinese-owned app TikTok -- Reuters
TikTok could threaten national security, senators charge -- FOX News
Senators want to know if TikTok poses a national security risk -- CNET
TikTok could threaten national security, senators say -- The Verge

That Is An App That Warns Syrians Of Approaching Air Strikes

John Jaeger, one of two co-founders of Hala System, an early warning alert system linked to sirens inside rebel-held areas in Syria that warns people ahead of an airstrike, is pictured at his office in Turkey September 11, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Reuters: Air strike warning app helps Syrians dodge death from the skies

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Russian military aircraft thunders into the sky at 4.47 pm from Russia’s air base at Hmeimim in western Syria, veering to the east.

An observer takes note of all three details, opens a phone app and enters the information into three designated fields.

Fourteen minutes later and 100 kilometers away, Abdel Razzaq sees the aircraft flying over his town of Maaret al-Numan. He opens his own app and types: Maaret al-Numan, Russian military aircraft, headed northeast.

The data is processed by a program, known as Sentry, that estimates the plane’s trajectory and sends a warning, triggering Facebook and Telegram messages, Tweets and, most importantly, loud sirens throughout cities in opposition-held Syria.

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WNU Editor: This is a brilliant idea.

Another Fitness App Exposes The Location Of Spies And Personnel At MI6, The White House, GCHQ, And Even Russian Intelligence

A running app has exposed the name and locations of spies and military personnel at MI6, the White House and GCHQ - the second such security lapse this year. Pictured are jogging routes (purple) around GCHQ, including one taken by a runner who works at the intelligence hub

Daily Mail: Shocking security lapse as running app Polar Flow exposes the locations and personal details of 6,400 spies and personnel at MI6, the White House and GCHQ

* Fitness app revealed the names and whereabouts of 6,400 government workers
* Locations were exposed by the app's heart rate monitor and jogging heat maps
* They include military bases, nuclear weapons storage sites and embassies
* Finnish software company Flow said it was 'tweaking' the app following the leak

A running app has exposed the names and locations of spies and military personnel at MI6, the White House and GCHQ - the second such security lapse this year.

Fitness tracking app Polar Flow revealed the whereabouts of 6,400 users exercising at sensitive intelligence and government facilities around the world.

Locations exposed by the software's jogging heat maps include military bases and airfields, nuclear weapons storage sites and embassies.

Finnish software firm Flow, with offices in the UK and New York, said it had taken the app's map function down after an investigation found it harboured compromising data stretching as far back as 2014.

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WNU Editor: Apparently this flaw has been online since 2014. 

This Mobile Phone App Can Track Spy Planes

Open Secret: The £650 million aircraft was tracked near a naval air base

Daily Mail: Plane spotters with £2.99 app expose top secret UK spy plane off Russia: Highly-classified mission involving £650m aircraft is watched by thousands online

* A top-secret British spy plane was tracked using a £2.99 mobile phone app
* The £650 million RAF aircraft, called Rivet Joint, could be seen at 27,000ft
* Monitered as it tried to gather intelligence about a Russian base on the Baltic Sea

A top-secret British spy plane was tracked using a £2.99 mobile phone app as it flew on a daring mission to eavesdrop on Vladimir Putin’s air defences.

The £650 million RAF aircraft, called Rivet Joint, could be seen at 27,000ft as it tried to gather intelligence about a heavily defended Russian base on the Baltic Sea.

A minute-by-minute record of the highly classified mission to study the Kaliningrad naval air base was watched by hundreds of thousands of people on the internet, and details were shared on Twitter.

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WNU Editor: So much for secrecy.

Taliban App Removed From Google Play Store

Alemarah App

CNN: Google Play removes app made by the Taliban

Google has removed an app made by the Taliban from its Play store.

The Taliban app was first discovered on Friday by SITE Intel Group, a website devoted to tracking jihadists online. The propaganda product was taken down shortly thereafter.

A Google (GOOGL, Tech30) spokesman declined to comment on the app disappearing from its store, citing a policy that the company doesn't discuss specific apps. But the spokesman said the company does remove apps from Google Play that violate its policies.

Jihadist groups, including the Taliban, have successfully used the Internet and social media to spread propaganda and recruit fighters. Apps, however, are strictly regulated by Google and Apple (AAPL, Tech30). It's much harder to sneak a jihadist app by the stores' gatekeepers than post a recruitment tweet on Twitter.

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More News On The Removal Of A Taliban App On Google Play Store

Taliban app removed from Google store -- BBC
Taliban Android App Briefly Appears in Google Play -- VOA
Taliban propaganda app pulled from Google Play -- Washington Times
Google removes Afghan Taliban smartphone app -- Phys.org
Google pulls Taliban app after it was on Play for two days -- Endgadget
Taliban Develop Smartphone App to Advance Propaganda Efforts -- Bloomberg
Taliban’s app goes down after a day on Google Play Store -- Digital Trends
Taliban propaganda app removed from Google Play store -- The Verge

Is There An App To Fire Mortars?

A member of the 'Ansar Dimachk' Brigade, part of the 'Asood Allah' Brigade which operates under the Free Syrian Army, uses an iPad during preparations to fire a homemade mortar at one of the battlefronts in Jobar, Damascus September 15, 2013.

Syrian Rebels Are Using iPads To Fire Off Mortars -- Business Insider

It is known that Syrian rebels have had to rely on jerry-rigged weapons, and it appears some fighters have turned to technology to upgrade their gear.

Mohamed Abdullah of Reuters took this fascinating picture of Free Syrian Army rebels using an iPad to guide mortar fire outside of Damascus.

Business Insider reporter Paul Szoldra held almost every billet in the 81mm Mortar Platoon and instructed new mortarmen when he served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2002 to 2010.

These rebels, according to Szoldra, appear to be using an app to level the tube because they don't have sights on the mortars to help level it out and aim at a target.

Here's Paul's analysis of the operation:

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My Comment: Apparently they are doing it all wrong.

The Lebanese Turn To Apps To Avoid Gun Battles

Apps Help Lebanese Avoid Gunfights, Not Just Traffic Jams -- BRW

With Syria’s civil war increasingly at risk of spilling over its borders, developers and even the army in neighbouring Lebanon are equipping people with tools to avoid dangers via advance-warning smartphone apps.

Applications that use crowdsourced information to tell people about gunfights, suggest routes around roadblocks and even, in the case of the army’s own app, reveal locations and offer a channel of direct communication to army command in the case of kidnap, are a natural evolution for a population that has grown up with decades of civil conflict, the Financial Times reports.

“In other places in the world, the only thing that might obstruct your path is traffic,” Mohammad Taha, a Berytech entrepreneur, told the newspaper. “In Lebanon there are many things that can happen.”

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Update: Lebanon turns to apps to avoid growing violence linked to Syria -- Financial Times

WNU Editor: The app is Ma2too3a.

An App That Pinpoints Where A Sniper Is Located

The app being tested: It can pinpoint the location of a gunman simply by analysing the sound of a gunshot

The App That Can Tell You EXACTLY Where A Gunman Is Just By Listening To A Bullet Being Fired -- Daily Mail

* System uses microphones and other sensors in smartphone to pinpoint location
* Additional microphones housed in a box the size of a pack of playing cards
* Head-mounted version set to be developed for police and soldiers

An app that can pinpoint a gunman's location simply by analysing the sound and shockwaves from a gunshot have been revealed by US researchers.

The Android app can show a map of exactly where the gunman is located, and is expected to be developed for military and police use in the war on terror.

Experts at Vanderbilt University can replicate systems that cost millions of pounds are are so large they have to be installed in vehicles.

The new version, however, simply requires a smartphone and a small box around the size of a deck of cards containing highly sensitive microphones and shockwave sensors.

The team say it could be initially used to protect VIPs.

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My Comment: I expect this to be standard for the military very soon.

No Aple App For Syria

There's No App For Syria -- Michael Peck

Why did Apple ban a game on the Syrian civil war?

The idea seemed laudable. Create a computer game app on the Syrian civil war that is simple enough for the general public to learn a bit about a complex conflict. Thus was born Endgame: Syria -- which puts the player in command of the Syrian rebels as they battle to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's regime. It runs on Android tablets, and it will soon be available on the Apple app store, promises British publisher Auroch Digital.

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My Comment: A surprising ruling from Apple .... especially since there are scores of violent games in their app store. I guess the issue of Syria is too sensitive for some in Apple, and prefer it to be swept under the table. On a side note ..... Steve Job's biological father was Syrian.

App Helps Israelis Track Missile Fire

My Comment: This is smart .... and a sign of the times.

Satellites Are Snapping Images That Can No Longer Be Hidden In Secret

A model of Osama bin Laden’s compound, found on Bing. Photo: Microsoft

Apple, Bing Maps Reveal Secret Sites -- Danger Room

A top-secret base in Taiwan, revealed on Apple Maps. The Navy SEALs’ rehearsal site for the Osama bin Laden raid, found on Bing. Once again, commercial satellites have snapped images of things that governments would rather hide from public view. And once again, those governments are finding that there’s not much they can do once this sensitive imagery ends up online.

The big technology companies and their mapping apps have been turning generals red-faced for the better part of a decade by posting on the net pictures of sensitive locations. Back in 2009, the Pakistani press blew the lid off of the U.S. drone campaign there by publishing Google Earth pictures of a local airbase — with American Predators parked on the runway. This summer, orbital images appeared online of a stealthy and previously undisclosed robotic aircraft at Lockheed Martin’s “Skunkworks” facility.

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My Comment: Some are now debating on whether satellite map data be uncensored for all to enjoy. I say yes .... because such technology also reveals conditions on the ground like this .... or this .... or .... you get the picture.

Taiwan Wants Apple To Blur Some Images On Their New Maps Aps

Part of Hsinchu in Taiwan on Apple's maps - Apple has been asked to removed imagery of a secret base in the area.

The Map That Apple HAS To Make Blurred: Taiwanese Government Complains New Maps App Is revealing Military Secrets -- Daily Mail

* US bases also appear on the service in high resolution
* Google has 'muzzed' or distorted military installations

After facing huge criticism for blurred maps, Apple has received an unusual request - to make its maps MORE blurry.

The technology giant came under fire for the poor quality of its maps after users found missing locations, areas obscured by cloud and even distorted bridges and roads.

However, Taiwanese officials found the maps too accurate - and have asked Apple to blur satellite images of sensitive military installations which are freely available to iPhone 5 users.

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More News On Taiwan Wanting Apple To Blur Some Images On Their New Maps Aps

Taiwan to ask Apple to blur satellite images of top-secret base available on iPhone 5 -- New York Post/AFP
Taiwan Wants Apple to Blur Military Base on iOS 6 Maps -- PC Mag
Taiwan Blames Apple Maps For Revealing Its $1.2 Billion Top-Secret Radar Base -- Business Insider
Taiwan to Apple: blur our secret missile base from maps app -- Wired
Apple Maps outs secret military site, irks Taiwan -- CNet
Taiwan wants Apple to blur sensitive military images -- ZDNet
Apple Maps Accidentally Outs Secret Military Base in Taiwan -- Slate
iOS 6 Problems: Apple Maps Accidentally Reveals Secret Taiwan Base -- IBTimes

A Cyberterrorism Social Media App

Source: New York Times.

A New Social Media App: Cyberterrorism -- Threat Matrix

Pakistan is not normally noted as a high-tech innovator. Nevertheless, Pakistani and Bangladeshi terrorist groups have developed a new application for social media: Cyberterrorism.

The story begins in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.

A local communal conflict turns into a countrywide panic

Conflict over the control of land, immigration, and political power between the indigenous Bodos tribe in the northeastern Indian state of Assam and Muslim settlers from neighboring Bangladesh exploded in violence in July and early August. An escalating cycle of violence soon resulted in the looting and burning of entire villages. The Bodos said illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh were streaming into the state and taking over vacant land. Muslims said the Bodo wanted to drive out Muslim residents. 78 people had been killed in the conflict, 14,000 homes had been burned, and 300,000 people became refugees.

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My Comment: A clear cut case on the power of social media .... and in India of all places.

Taking Apps To War

During a battle in a village near Kandahar, Afghanistan, Lt. Kevin Pelletier used a tablet computer with a custom map application to direct soldiers' movements. Here, a screenshot from one of the military's apps. Darpa

Military Takes Apps To War -- Wall Street Journal

Soldiers Use Mobile Devices for Mapping, Networking, Virtual Lineups.

Leading his platoon on a mission to clear a hostile village in Afghanistan last year, U.S. Army Lt. Kevin Pelletier took a small tablet computer along with his gun, body armor and radio.

The hardened version of the five-inch Dell Streak developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency contained a custom application with Google-like maps based on satellite images. Lt. Pelletier used it to update the precise location of fellow soldiers engaged in a fight with two dozen insurgents.

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My Comment: The Russian military is also getting involved in this technology .... minus the apps for now.

Apple Rejects An App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

Information about drone strikes was used both in an article in the Guardian’s app, left, and in an app created by a graduate student at New York University. New York Times

Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes -- Danger Room

It seemed like a simple enough idea for an iPhone app: Send users a pop-up notice whenever a flying robots kills someone in one of America’s many undeclared wars. But Apple keeps blocking the Drones+ program from its App Store — and therefore, from iPhones everywhere. The Cupertino company says the content is “objectionable and crude,” according to Apple’s latest rejection letter.

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More News On Apple Rejecting An App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

Apple rejects Drones+, app to track U.S. drone strikes -- Washington Post
Apple Rejects App Tracking Drone Strikes -- New York Times
Apple again rejects app that tracks U.S. drone attacks -- L.A. Times
Apple blocks 'objectionable' app that reports deaths from US drone strikes -- The Guardian
Apple rejects app for tracking U.S. drone strikes -- CNet
Apple App Store Turns Down Controversial App That Tracks US Drone Strikes (VIDEO) -- IBTimes
Apple repeatedly rejects 'drone strike tracking' app from the App Store -- Examiner
Apple bans drone-awareness iPhone app -- RT
Apple Rejected the Drone Tracker App Because it Could -- Atlantic Wire

Korea Militarizes Samsung's Smartphone Apps

Korea Militarizes Samsung Smartphone Apps -- Tech Eye

Invade the North? There's an app for that

South Korea has been developing battlefield applications for Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S and other Android-based smartphones.

According to the Korea Times, nine apps have been completed with more coming.

The big idea is that the Koreans want to use smartphones in military operations and since it has a big smartphone maker close it thought it would use it.

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My Comment: Expect even more apps with a military concept in the near future.

An App To Teach Marines Martial Arts

The "Semper Fu" app, available for Android smartphones, is a free download that gives users access to illustrative instructions from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. (Mike Morones/Staff)

‘Semper Fu’ Android App Teaches Marines Martial Arts (Plus Eye Gauging And Knife Fighting) -- Military Times

Marine Corps Times writer Gina Harkin writes this week about an app that’ll teach you eye gauging and blood chokes. Enough said.

Gina writes:

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My Comment: Cool ...

iPads Now Find Themselves On The Frontlines

Marine Capt. Jim Carlson uses an iPad while sitting in his Super Cobra attack helicopter at Camp Pendleton. The use of this and other smart devices is raising cyber-security concerns among military strategists. (Don Bartletti, Los Angeles Times / September 26, 2011)

Taking iPads Into Battle -- L.A. Times

Phones and other smart devices are being tested across all branches of the military. Seeing an opportunity, software firms and defense contractors are developing apps that will enable soldiers to pass along intelligence, view reconnaissance images or even pilot small drones by remote control.

As a Cobra attack helicopter pilot, Marine Capt. Jim "Hottie" Carlson was running support missions above Afghanistan last summer when it occurred to him that it was taking far too long to find where U.S. troops were under attack.

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to find the right map, unfold it, and find where you're going? It's agonizing," he said.

Frustrated that he had to flip through dozens of maps stuffed inside his chopper, Carlson, 31, loaded the documents onto his personal iPad, enabling him to zoom in, zoom out and quickly move from one map to another.

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My Comment: Off the shelf products are sometimes a Godsend for those in the military. The ipad appears to be one of those "Godsends".