text: SECURITY RISK DETECTED IN POPULAR DC APP: Cybersecurity experts are warning about security vulnerabilities in the transcription app Otter. The app is popular with Capitol Hill reporters and is used across Washington DC to share information and clips of politicians and officials with newsrooms. The company responded that they do not share recordings or information with any government unless a court order is issued. Notably, Otter’s founders are graduates of both Chinese and American universities and worked in Silicon Valley companies. (AC: The application likely exploits permissions on devices to surreptitiously record audio and at least remains vulnerable to apps like TikTok without users’ knowledge. The founders’ ties to prestigious Chinese and American universities increase the likelihood of intelligence services seeking their cooperation. China’s coercion of citizens abroad and tech companies is an effective tool at capturing both intelligence and trade secrets in unrestricted warfare.