Rabat_ Social Media Exchange (SMEX)—a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing human rights in digital spaces across MENA [Middle East and North Africa] — is warning that Israeli-linked software secretly embedded in Samsung phones across the Middle East and North Africa 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.

  • masterofn001@lemmy.ca
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    21 hours ago

    I have a Canadian carrier purchased phone. Brand new Pixel 9. 5$ a month. For 24 months.

    It has only ONCE booted to the Google version of Android.

    To flip the toggle to enable OEM unlock.

    I kept WiFi off and hadn’t inserted a SIM so it couldn’t update or do anything else that might have prevented flashing graphene.

    Not sure if that was necessary, but it worked.

    And now I live my life free of google software surveillance.

    • Yttra@lemmy.world
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      1 hour ago

      Just so nobody else is confused, Canadian carrier phones legally have to be sold unlocked as of 2017