Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

User Beware: We Still Don’t Know How Oracle Will Treat US Consumer Data

Tuesday, September 22, 2020, By Daryl Lovell
Share
Consumer dataCybersecurityOracleTik Tok

President Trump approved a tentative deal over the weekend that allows TikTok to stay in U.S. app stores for now. On Friday, officials had announced WeChat and TikTok apps would be banned, citing national security concerns as the reason behind the expulsion of the Chinese-owned apps.

Lee McKnight is an associate professor in the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) whose research specialty includes cybersecurity.

McKnight says:

“Tik Tok has been guilty of being a fast-growing phenomenon, which exposed its sloppy technical practices to scrutiny, as happened with Zoom. The list of Tik Tok vulnerabilities and flaws patched or not (yet?) patched properly over the past months is long. Whether they were just sloppy like typical Silicon Valley companies, or malicious, would require access to classified information to say for sure one way or another.

“Going forward, the separation of U.S. user data from control of the ByteDance parent through the Oracle acquisition is a significant change; but of course, we don’t know yet how Oracle will treat U.S. consumer data. If no better than say Facebook or Google….user (still) beware.

“The issue of control of the software coding highlighted by Senator Rubio is – sort of – a true concern. But since the bulk of the software would be in Oracle’s data centers, presumably Oracle can detect anomalous data flows back to China; or encrypted data exiting their data centers for points unknown. So, not a serious problem at the infrastructure level. For data flows from user devices, similarly, Apple or Google’s Android OS could detect anomalous encrypted data flows exiting user devices, so that is also not necessarily a serious concern. If we can trust Google and Apple to protect users over their Chinese market positions.

“But clearly the biggest security threat to Tik Tok user data remains the Chinese Communist Party, and the People’s Army, which even if they cannot come in through an open backdoor, have shown no hesitation to steal and/or censor data and information to suppress dissent. ByteDance the parent corporation, and its founder and CEO Zhang Yiming, are always subject to pressure and control of the CCP, which can make even the CEO of the most valuable startup in the world, disappear. In 45 seconds.”

 

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Marketing and Communications

M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell

The Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., 2nd Fl., Syracuse, NY 13202
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu

Syracuse University

  • Author
  • Faculty Experts

Daryl Lovell

  • Lee W. McKnight

  • Recent
  • Newhouse School to Host Scripps Howard Leadership Academy This Summer
    Wednesday, February 1, 2023, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • 2023 Lunar New Year Celebrations in Photos
    Wednesday, February 1, 2023, By News Staff
  • University Community Invited to Forum With Diversity and Inclusion Vice President Mary Grace A. Almandrez, Student Leaders Feb. 13
    Wednesday, February 1, 2023, By News Staff
  • College of Visual and Performing Arts Announces 2023 VPA Scholars
    Wednesday, February 1, 2023, By Erica Blust
  • Donor’s ‘Belief in Potential’ Motivates $1.5M Gift
    Wednesday, February 1, 2023, By Eileen Korey

More In STEM

Donor’s ‘Belief in Potential’ Motivates $1.5M Gift

Like many young women with an interest in science, Laura Feldman ’81 thought about a career in medicine when she entered Syracuse University. But she was daunted by the statistics and her future prospects: At the time, women were not…

On Tragedy’s Anniversary, Former NASA Leader Sean O’Keefe Reflects on the ‘Price of Diligence’

The Columbia shuttle was scheduled to land at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on the morning of Feb. 1, 2003, after completing a successful 16-day research mission. Joining the families of the ship’s seven-member crew…

Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center Receives Multi-Million Dollar Environmental Protection Agency Grant to Support Underserved Communities

The Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center (SU-EFC) was selected by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to serve as a regional Environmental Finance Center (EFC) to help communities access federal infrastructure funds and continue supporting environmental and financial challenges in…

Getting to the ‘Point’: Powerful Computing Helps Identify Potential New Treatments for Coronaviruses

Coronaviruses, such as the one that causes COVID-19, have numerous protruding spikes salting their surfaces. When a coronavirus raises one of these spike proteins—like opening a finger to full length—it becomes capable of invading a human cell. The pointed spike…

Researchers Reject 30-Year-Old Paradigm: Emergence of Forests Did Not Reduce CO2 in Atmosphere

It’s hard to imagine our planet without trees. From providing wildlife habitat to reducing erosion and absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, trees play an important role in maintaining a livable environment. But trees haven’t been around forever. Over…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.