Reddit is suspected for privacy concerns, Hackers spread pro-trump data on a popular kids video game, and Mark Zuckerburg expects advertisers to return soon enough.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Monday, July 6, and I’m your host, Baneet Braich.
Remember that nasty iOS vulnerability that opened the door for at least more than 50 apps to snoop on your clipboard – turns out Reddit is one of those apps. The Apple IOS 14 has revealed some suspicion that Reddit is also reading users clipboard data similar to Tik Tok and LinkedIn. The same developer that caught LinkedIn accessing his clipboard data also posted a video to Twitter showing Reddit doing the same thing. A Reddit spokesperson told The Verge that “It reads clipboard for URLs and then suggests a post title based on the text contents of the URL.” Reddit further mentioned it does not store or sends the pasteboard contents. A fix to the app of removing the code will be released on July 14.
Hackers are spreading trump propaganda through Roblox. Yes, you heard that right. Roblox is a game for mainly children and young teens and has nearly 100 million active users. BBC is reporting that hackers are dressing up characters in red hats like Trump supporters and putting pro-Trump messages in profiles. The message that keeps popping up in the about section is: Ask your parents to vote for Trump this year!#Maga2020. Currently, It’s not clear, how hackers accessing accounts, but they also appear to be spamming friend requests and friend lists to send out pro-trump messages beyond the single hacked account. Roblox has yet to comment publicly about the hacks however, the company advises players to reset their password, clear third-party browser extensions, and enable two-factor authentication.
The Information is reporting that Mark Zuckerburg has told Facebook staff that he expects advertisers to return soon enough. The Facebook CEO was reportedly reluctant to bow to the threats of a growing ad boycott, saying “my guess is that all these advertisers will be back on the platform soon enough.” Large brands like Starbucks and Coca-Cola are now part of the boycott. The ad boycott by more than 400 brands officially began last Wednesday. According to the information, Zuckerberg said the boycott is rather a “reputational and a partner issue” than an economic one. Even large advertisers participating in the boycott, he says, make up a small portion of Facebook’s overall revenue. Of the 25 largest Facebook ad spenders only Microsoft, Starbucks and Pfizer are part of the boycott.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. I’m Baneet Braich, thanks for listening.