A Fact-Check on Viral Claims

Rex M. Lee investigates viral claims that the U.S. federal government “hacked” Signal chats tied to activist groups in Minneapolis, separating speculation from verifiable fact. Drawing on public reporting, law enforcement statements, and established encryption principles, he finds no evidence that Signal’s end-to-end encryption was broken. Instead, Lee explains how investigations into encrypted messaging typically rely on human infiltration, seized devices, metadata, or legal process—not cryptographic backdoors or mass decryption capabilities. By clarifying the technical realities of secure messaging, he underscores why conflating endpoint access with encryption failure distorts public understanding of digital security, civil liberties, and the integrity of modern communications platforms.

Interview with Rex Lee By Don Ma with NTD News

Rex M. Lee, cybersecurity adviser, discussed the U.S. government's deal with Nvidia and AMD to get a cut of revenue from sales of some chips in China.

The Trump administration confirmed an unprecedented deal with Nvidia and AMD to give the U.S. government 15 percent of revenue from sales of some advanced chips in China. For a deep dive, NTD spoke to Rex Lee, cybersecurity adviser at My Smart Privacy and tech journalist.

By Rex M. Lee, Security Advisor/Tech Journalist

A critical vulnerability in Erlang/OTP SSH, tracked as CVE-2025-32433 with a CVSS score of 10.0, has been actively exploited since May 2025, targeting operational technology (OT) networks worldwide. Reported by Hacker News, this flaw, patched in April 2025 with releases OTP-27.3.3, OTP-26.2.5.11, and OTP-25.3.2.20, stems from a missing authentication issue, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code without credentials. About 70% of attacks hit OT environments, with 85% targeting healthcare, agriculture, media, and tech sectors in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, India, and Australia. Added to CISA’s KEV catalog in June 2025, exploitation involves reverse shells and industrial port attacks, posing risks to critical infrastructure. Urgent patching and enhanced network monitoring are crucial to mitigate this severe threat to national and economic security.

By Rex M. Lee | Investigative Tech Journalist

Today’s AI-infused mobile apps, browsers, chatbots, and gaming platforms don’t just monitor your behavior—they enable multiple companies and governments to monitor, track, and data mine you for profits simultaneously through cross-platform surveillance technologies, often without your knowledge or consent.

And sometimes, without you even using their services…

By Rex M. Lee, Security Advisor and Investigative Tech Journalist

ByteDance, the Chinese tech conglomerate behind TikTok, is at the center of a patent infringement controversy involving the alleged illegal replication of social video playback and sharing technology that the US Patent and Trademark office granted a patent for.

The case raises serious questions about intellectual property theft, national security, and the complicity of Big Tech in enabling foreign adversaries.

There have been growing calls to counter China's rise in technological advancements, especially in realms like AI. But what exactly are the risks to Americans? NTD spoke with Rex Lee.

Interview with Rex Lee, My Smart Privacy

By Rex M. Lee, Security Advisor & Investigative Tech Journalist, My Smart Privacy

Despite strong privacy laws like Europe’s GDPR and California’s CCPA, Big Tech exploits mobile apps to bypass protections, turning smartphones into data-harvesting tools. Here’s how they do it—and why it matters for your privacy. 

TechStorm Podcast featuring Rex M. Lee

In this explosive episode, Technologist Merle Garrison and Security Advisor Rex M. Lee investigates actress Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against OpenAI over the alleged theft of her voice and likeness—raising serious questions about copyright violations, AI ethics, and intellectual property theft.

Security Advisor Rex M. Lee of My Smart Privacy Breaks Down the Origins of China's AI Behind DeepSeek

Did Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek truly out-innovate its U.S. rivals as it claims? NTD interviewed cybersecurity adviser Rex M. Lee of My Smart Privacy to get his expert analysis on who is really behind the development of China's AI supporting DeepSeek.

Interview with Security Advisor, Rex M. Lee

DJI, a Chinese military company, now dominates the U.S. drone market. Some lawmakers have called it TikTok with wings, fearing the devices DJI makes could act as eyes in the sky for Beijing. A defense bill could change its massive market share.