Tech Quisling

Senators Demand Answers from Mark Zuckerberg over Huawei Data Sharing Scandal
By Allum Bokhari 

Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, have sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg demanding answers on Facebook’s latest data scandal.
Earlier this week it was revealed that Facebook shared user data with “at least 60” phone manufacturers including Huawei, a company linked to the Chinese government and flagged as a national security threat by the CIA, FBI, and NSA.
A Democrat lawmaker has since accused Zuckerberg of lying to Congress when he told them that users had “complete control” over who sees their data on the platform.
Among the questions asked by Sens. Thune and Nelson, which can be read in full here, is whether Zuckerberg would like to amend his statement on this, given that the New York Times reported that phone manufacturers had access to data from Facebook users’ friends even when those friends denied them the permission to share their data with third parties.
The Senators also asked Zuckerberg if Facebook verified whether the phone companies complied with the social network’s rules on data-sharing, and if there was even any method to check.
The Senators also demanded transparency: a full list of the device manufacturers that Facebook granted data access to, including manufacturers with whom it has since ended partnerships with.
The letter requests a response from Zuckerberg by no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 18, 2018.

America's Tech Quisling

Apple has a moral obligation to push back in China, says senator who probed the company's ties

• "Tech companies must continue to push back on Chinese suppression of free expression." -- Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy.
• Leahy, a Democrat, along with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, probed Apple for details on Chinese ties

By Anita Balakrishnan

America's tech Quisling

Apple CEO Tim Cook's recent remarks at a conference in China are drawing criticism from U.S. senators, including one who worries that the tech giant is not fulfilling its "obligation to promote free expression and other basic human rights."
The comments have fanned the flames of a relationship that's already facing scrutiny in Congress.
Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, along with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, previously criticized Apple in October after reports that that the company removed VPN apps from the China App Store to comply with Chinese regulators.

When asked to provide a statement condemning the Chinese government's censorship, Apple told the senators that "actions are our most powerful statement."
Then, Cook made a surprisingly high-profile appearance over the weekend at the World Internet Conference in China, where he reportedly said that Apple and China "share" a vision for a "digital economy for openness" and "a common future in cyberspace."
After Cook's remarks at the trade show, Leahy said in a statement to CNBC: "American tech companies have become leading champions of free expression. But that commitment should not end at our borders. ... Global leaders in innovation, like Apple, have both an opportunity and a moral obligation to promote free expression and other basic human rights in countries that routinely deny these rights."
Leahy maintained his call for Apple to challenge Chinese "suppression."
"Apple is clearly a force for good in China, but I also believe it and other tech companies must continue to push back on Chinese suppression of free expression," Leahy said.
Apple is one of the most influential American technology companies in China — Google and Facebook, for example, have limited services there, and Apple is one of the few consumer electronics brands that sells a lot of products during Chinese shopping holidays like Singles Day.
Apple was not available to comment on Leahy's response to the letter.