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