According to data security expert Jarno Ahlström, the publication of the viral image was problematic from many points of view.
- According to security expert Jarno Ahlström, the publications spread from Kesäranta to Tiktok are thoughtless.
- Alhström estimates that the publications create a threat of influencing information.
- Recently, significant vulnerabilities have been detected in Tiktok’s data security.
Check Point’s information security expert Jarno Ahlström estimates that the Prime Minister Sanna Marini (sd) Tiktok pictures and videos published by invited guests of Kesäranta expose information security risks.
– I do not consider their publication to be unproblematic in any way. Everyone should consider what should be photographed where, when and from where. It’s mostly about protecting one’s privacy, says Ahlström.
Kohu was born on Tiktok from a picture published on July 10, where two of Marin’s guests are posing in Kesäranta in front of the Government Council’s official photo wall. The persons in the picture have raised their shirts above their breasts. Marin had to apologize for the picture.
– I think that picture is not correct, I apologize for that. That kind of picture shouldn’t have been taken, but otherwise nothing miraculous happened during the evening, the prime minister said on Tuesday.
The image has since been removed from Tiktok by its original publisher, the model Sabina Särkän, from the account. The publications had been shared on Tiktok from Kesäranta’s party on the Sunday after Ruisrock.
Risks for influencing information
Jarno Ahlström commented on a general level that removing a publication from Tiktok after sharing it does not help anything.
– The old wisdom that was learned when the internet was born applies to this: everything that has ever gone on the internet is there forever, says Ahlström.
– In the case of Tiktok, all content and user actions are also stored centrally in the application’s databases, even if they are deleted, he adds.
The Chinese-owned Tiktok has received criticism because it is feared that it operates under the command of the Chinese state. In the case of the Kesäranta video, Ahlström brings up the threat of information influence. According to him, the videos can end up “just about anywhere”.
– Another question is to think about whether it matters? Ahlström ponders.
– The fact that the videos were shot in Kesäranta creates more opportunities for influencing information. If the appropriate party gets hold of them and extracts content from them, it can give a different picture of the operation, he continues.
According to Ahlström, so far there has been no public evidence that the videos published on Tiktok have ended up in the wrong hands.
– However, there have been doubts about it.
The story continues after the pictures
This publication uploaded to Tiktok spread like wildfire on Tuesday. TIKTOK SCREEN CAPTURE
Sabina Särkkä also posted video footage of Kesäranta’s party on Tiktok. TIKTOK SCREEN CAPTURE
Tiktok has a history of vulnerability
According to Jarno Ahlström, Tiktok’s information security has been studied over the past few years. According to him, the biggest difference between Tiktok and other social media platforms is how much information the application collects from its users.
– It has caused quite a lot of concern everywhere. Among other things, the US Department of Defense has banned the use of Tiktok among its personnel because so much information is collected. There is no clear overall picture of where the data ends up.
– In the same breath, it must be stated that the data security issues of other social media applications are not exactly better, he says.
Ahlström considers Tiktok’s extensive collection of data to be a clear threat to the application. In addition, he brings up a case where a gap appeared in Tiktok’s information security.
– It made it possible to mine user data from the Tiktok platform. From there, they got usernames, phone numbers and email addresses, he says.
Like many social media apps, Tiktok also stores location data. According to Ahlström, the location of the users can be easily ascertained.
– You don’t even have to publish videos, it’s enough to start the application. Then you have given permission for the application to save your location data.
Information security researcher Felix Krause published a report last week that contained bad news for Tiktok app users. According to the report, the browser built into the application can practically see everything that the user writes on the browser.
Social media and data protection expert Harto Pönkä expressed on his Twitter account the subject of his concern.
– If you have installed Tiktok on your work phone, remove it now at the latest, Pönkä wrote.
The Tiktok video app has over a billion monthly active users. In Finland, Tiktok already has 1.1 million monthly users.
Check Point’s information security expert Jarno Ahlström. F9 Distribution Oy/ Turkka Nikula