Claims

Qualified triples from the transcripts. Origin, speaker, and evidence stay attached. These are not independently verified facts.

Kik Interactive ASSOCIATED_WITH Tencent

Tencent invested $50 million in Kik Interactive in an effort to make Kik the WeChat of the West.

Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“the Chinese company Tencent invested 50 million dollars into Kik, trying to make it the WeChat of the West”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 4073–4179

Kik ASSOCIATED_WITH Child Sexual Abuse Material

The episode presents Kik as having a large and persistent CSAM problem, while also noting uncertainty about the extent of Kik's moderation and enforcement.

Uncertain Confidence 95% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“Kik Chat App Involved in 1,100 Child Abuse Cases”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 35815–35863

“Kik has a very big problem with child abuse”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 35892–35935

Kin Foundation ASSOCIATED_WITH Kin

Kik Interactive created a separate Kin Foundation focused on Kin.

Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“they made their own separate entity called the Kin Foundation which just focused on Kin”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 7876–7963

Kin DEVELOPED_BY Kik Interactive

Kik Interactive created its own cryptocurrency called Kin.

Explicit Confidence 95% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“decided to make their own cryptocoin called Kin”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 6066–6113

crash codes EXPLOITS zero-day exploit

Crash codes relied on actual zero-day exploits in the Kik system to force-close the app when users viewed the code.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Azrael EP 93 Details

“Crash codes rely on actual zero-day exploits within the Kik system which will force-close your app”

Azrael · offsets 65816–65914

Kik SEC lawsuit INVOLVES Kik Interactive

The SEC lawsuit involved Kik Interactive.

Explicit Confidence 97% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“the SEC filed suit against Kik and Kin”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 6898–6936

Kik SEC lawsuit INVOLVES Kin

The SEC lawsuit involved Kin, with the SEC alleging that it was treated like a security when used to raise money for the company.

Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“the SEC filed suit against Kik and Kin, alleging securities violations”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 6898–6968

Kik SEC lawsuit INVOLVES Securities and Exchange Commission

The SEC filed the lawsuit against Kik and Kin, alleging securities violations.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“in 2019 the SEC filed suit against Kik and Kin, alleging securities violations”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 6890–6968

Azrael MEMBER_OF Raindrop

Azrael joined the Raindrop clan, which he described as focused on anti-toxicity raids.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Azrael EP 93 Details

“the clan I joined at the time was called Raindrop”

Azrael · offsets 20917–20966

Azrael MEMBER_OF Xensec

Azrael joined the Xensec clan, which focused on the pedophilia problem on Kik.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“he joined a new clan called Xensec”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 62015–62049

“Xensec focused solely on the pedophilia problem”

Azrael · offsets 62649–62696

Kik OPERATED_BY Kik Interactive

Kik was operated by the company called Kik Interactive before its sale to MediaLab AI.

Explicit Confidence 96% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“By this point, the company was called Kik Interactive and they had a whole team of people working there.”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 4293–4397

Cyber Tip Line OPERATED_BY National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

The Cyber Tip Line is run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“They run something called the Cyber Tip Line”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 49785–49829

Kik OPERATED_BY MediaLab AI

MediaLab AI bought Kik and became its owner after Kik Interactive announced the app would be shut down.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“They offered to buy Kik, so it was sold to MediaLab”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 8751–8802

Azrael USES IP address harvesting

Azrael used an injected link or stanza to collect a target's IP address and derive ISP information.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Azrael EP 93 Details

“it basically shows up on the receiving end as an invisible picture. Then they’re like, why isn’t this loading? They click it; I have their IP”

Azrael · offsets 62978–63121

Badass Army USES Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Badass Army normally used DMCA notices to request removal of non-consensually shared nude images.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Katelyn Bowden EP 93 Details

“With Badass, we normally would use a DMCA”

Katelyn Bowden · offsets 42981–43022

modified Kik client USES XML stanza injection

Azrael's custom Kik client could send raw XML stanzas, injecting code into chats for other Kik clients to process.

Explicit Confidence 98% · Azrael EP 93 Details

“I can send raw XML files which are stanzas”

Azrael · offsets 16332–16374

PhotoDNA USES image hashing

PhotoDNA uses a database of known child-abuse-image hashes to identify matching images.

Attributed Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“what Microsoft has is a database of known child porn image hashes”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 32010–32075

Kik USES PhotoDNA

Kik partnered with Microsoft to test PhotoDNA for scanning images against known child-abuse-image hashes; the episode is uncertain about whether it remained in use.

Attributed Confidence 96% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“In 2015, Kik partnered with Microsoft to test Microsoft’s PhotoDNA service”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 31922–31996

Azrael USES phishing

Azrael used a deceptive message and an injected stanza to get a suspected pedophile to click a link, which Jack characterized as a classic phishing scheme.

Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“So, a classic phishing scheme”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 58560–58590

modified Kik client USES chat-room privilege escalation

XML stanza injection could cause a user to be given chat-room administrator ability.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Azrael EP 93 Details

“this user was just given admin. Then you have admin ability”

Azrael · offsets 19363–19423

modified Kik client USES read-receipt bypass

Modified Kik clients could turn off read receipts or make read messages appear unread to other users.

Explicit Confidence 98% · Azrael EP 93 Details

“you could turn off your read receipts and see who was reading your messages”

Azrael · offsets 15430–15505

XML USES XMPP

XMPP uses XML to encode and format messages.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“XMPP uses XML to encode and format the actual messages being sent”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 18629–18694

Azrael USES Doxxing

Jack characterized Azrael's collection and disclosure of ISP information about targets as doxxing.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“what he’s doing is phishing people and doxxing them”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 71134–71185

Kik USES XMPP

Kik uses XMPP to send messages between users.

Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 93 Details

“Kik uses a protocol called XMPP which sends messages from one user to another”

Jack Rhysider · offsets 18549–18626

Azrael USES modified Kik client

Azrael used modified Kik clients to defend and raid chat rooms.

Explicit Confidence 97% · Azrael EP 93 Details

“I kinda started spotting these people that were using modified APKs”

Azrael · offsets 15099–15166