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Samsung Embeds Israeli Surveillance App on Phones Across MENA (www.moroccoworldnews.com)
submitted 10 months ago by to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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A nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing human rights in digital spaces across West Asia and North Africa — is warning that Israeli-linked software secretly embedded in Samsung phones across the MENA region poses a serious surveillance threat.

According to SMEX, Samsung’s A and M series devices either come preloaded with the app “Aura” or install it automatically through system updates, without the user’s consent. The application reportedly collects a wide range of personal and device-specific data, including IP addresses, device fingerprints, hardware details, and network information.

​​In 2022, Samsung MENA partnered with Israeli tech company IronSource, integrating its Aura software into Galaxy A and M series phones across the region. The partnership was publicly marketed as a way to “enhance user experience” with AI-powered apps and content suggestions.

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[–] 97 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Incredible. We have reached the point where it feels safer buying a random Chinese phone than Samsung or other "big brands".

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  • [–] 29 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    We have reached the point where it feels safer buying a random Chinese phone

    1. they got rid of that choice for you: the american carriers has pre-complied with trump by blacklisting all chinese phones based on their imea numbers; it no longer matters that it's technologically feasible for it to work in the united states. so now, if you want premium phone quality but 1/3rd the price; you must buy an american brand and the full price tag.

    2. you don't have anything the chinese gov't wants, so they don't care about keeping tabs on you. also buying into the propaganda that they're tryping to keep tabs on your carries with it the implicit acceptance that you're okay with the american gov't keeping tabs on you.

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  • [–] 7 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    Your first point seems made up and I couldn't quickly find a source for it; do you have one that I couldn't find?

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago* (2 children)

    go visit your local t-mobile or at&t store and ask them about puting an unlocked chinese branded phone on their network.

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  • [–] 6 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    I'm sending comment this from a T-Mobile plan using an unlocked OnePlus 9 pro my friend, hence my question.

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  • [–] 9 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    that's the one loophole in this effort to black list chinese branded phones; that non-chinese brands that use the same hardware are allowed on their networks and, until recently, i was looking for an oppo or oneplus that could leverage this loophole.

    you're fucked if you try to use a xiaomi or huawei or any other chinese brand that doesn't share hardware w non-chinese brands like i have been doing for the last few years.

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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    What hardware are you talking about? Xiaomi phones use Qualcomm chips just like Oneplus and most other brands.

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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago*

    the phone i used was a redmi note 13 pro.

    i had it on tmobile prepaid for a little bit over year or so and i had the account since 2009 w 2 other chinese phones in the past. i tried switching to at&t in january and it worked for the first day, but then i got a text from at&t saying that my phone is no longer compatible and i had no signal. the store told me that the imea number had to be whitelisted and that i had to put in a request at their website. the signal reception sucked anyways, so i tried switching back to my old t-mobile account by popping in the sim, but it didn't work either and the t-mobile store said that chinese phones aren't allowed on prepaid anymore for "public safety". (he literally used air quote fingers and rolled his eyes. lol)

    google recommended mvno's to get around the ban, but they're just as unaware as most that this is a thing in the united states; their websites still show that my redmi is compatible but i've literally tried them all and none have worked.

    chatgpt recommended getting around the ban by purchasing phones that share the same hardware like they do with oneplus, oppo, etc. and that was the approach i was going to take until i decided to get a fairphone and put eos on it instead.

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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    yeah, anything out there that i could put out now, it's already on stalker websites for like five bucks (since there's a bunch of other Mes with the same name. Apparently I play hockey. I keep forgetting to follow "my" career tho i should look up Hockey Other Me sometime.

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    • [–] 95 points 10 months ago

    Once again: Fuck Samsung and fuck Israel.

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    [–] 33 points 10 months ago

    Israel... aren't those the guys that put bombs in the pagers?

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    [–] 31 points 10 months ago

    One more example why big corporations are not your friends

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    [–] 23 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    Shame that Samsung is the top selling Android vendor. I wasn't aware of this when I went with Honor but I'm glad I did.

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  • [–] 10 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    goes to show anything tech coming out of US, EU and its client states are not ever trustworthy.. I would go as far as to e.g. not buy a Bosch fridge, never mind the other reasons not to.

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    • [–] 22 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    It's worth noting that as of 2022, Unity owns 73.5% of the company IronSource, which develops the spy/"intrusive bloatware" app

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    • [–] 19 points 10 months ago

    Another reason to stop using Samsung smh. The Devil army of Israel keeps showing it is the ultimate evil

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    [+] 19 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 child)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 19 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    Samsung is more of a dumpster fire than specifically Zionist.

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    • [–] 16 points 10 months ago

    Samsung phone might be dangerous to your health and life, even in a case of being near oen. Even if you aren't conspiring to send aid to Gaza, since they can probably also track people around you. Andd they do kill based on metadata. US and Israel, both.

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    [–] 13 points 10 months ago

    GrapheneOS with their real phone cant come soon enough. These big tech companies have ruined any sense of ownership.

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    [–] 8 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    At times like these I really want to just buy a spare burner flip phones.. no additional use cases need. Dial/call in and out..

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    • [–] 4 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    After everything that has happened in the past 2 years, that entire region should entirely boycott Samsung until they're clear all Israeli spyware is cleared out of phones. The Middle East is a fairly large Market and everything Samsung should be forbidden entry by leaders of those countries until this is fixed.

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