A smartphone smuggled out of North Korea is offering a rare – and unsettling – glimpse into the extent of control Kim Jong Un’s regime exerts over its citizens, down to the very words they type. While the device appears outwardly similar to any modern smartphone, its software reveals a far more oppressive reality. The phone was featured in a BBC video, which showed it powering on with an animated North Korean flag waving across the screen. While the report did not specify the brand, the design and user interface closely resembled those of a Huawei or Honor device.
It’s unclear whether these companies officially sell phones in North Korea, but if they do, the devices are likely customized with state-approved software designed to restrict functionality and facilitate government surveillance.
One of the more revealing – and darkly amusing – features was the phone’s automatic censorship of words deemed problematic by the state. For instance, when users typed oppa, a South Korean term used to refer to an older brother or a boyfriend, the phone automatically replaced it with comrade. A warning would then appear, admonishing the user that oppa could only refer to an older sibling.
Typing “South Korea” would trigger another change. The phrase was automatically replaced with “puppet state,” reflecting the language used in official North Korean rhetoric.
Then came the more unsettling features. The phone silently captured a screenshot every five minutes, storing the images in a hidden folder that users couldn’t access. According to the BBC, authorities could later review these images to monitor the user’s activity.
The device was smuggled out of North Korea by Daily NK, a Seoul-based media outlet specializing in North Korean affairs. After examining the phone, the BBC confirmed that the censorship mechanisms were deeply embedded in its software. Experts say this technology is designed not only to control information but also to reinforce state messaging at the most personal level.
Smartphone usage has grown in North Korea in recent years, but access remains tightly controlled. Devices cannot connect to the global internet and are subject to intense government surveillance.
The regime has reportedly intensified efforts to eliminate South Korean cultural influence, which it views as subversive. So-called “youth crackdown squads” have been deployed to enforce these rules, frequently stopping young people on the streets to inspect their phones and review text messages for banned language.
Some North Korean escapees have shared that exposure to South Korean dramas or foreign radio broadcasts played a key role in their decision to flee the country. Despite the risks, outside media continues to be smuggled in – often via USB sticks and memory cards hidden in food shipments. Much of this effort is supported by foreign organizations.
does anyone really think our freedom phones are far from this?
Maybe the western world can be given some credit on being a tad more subtle, but overall the difference here are in tecnique, not goals
Its funny, a screenshot every 5 minutes that might be reviewed later on if needed sounds less intrusive than western efforts like google, amazon, etc.
Tracking someone’s history through screenshots sounds like a fucking nightmare for the person doing the searching.
It’s evil, but also a PITA for the analyst.
What kind of tankie bullshit argument is that lmao
Eh, they didn’t exactly paint it in a good light. It’s more like not laughing too much at the ordinary NK citizen’s big brother plight while the rest of us are being monitored constantly and much more real time.
The two situations are not the same, but the parallels show his we all deal with this crap in our own ways.
A factually accurate one lol
That’s why laws like the GDPR exist to prevent this bullshit.
Does not exist in Murica
But it does in the EU and similar laws exist in other countries. I can do nothing about the corruption in the states
Ps. it does exist in Amerika
Not completely, but the Brussels effect still applies to some degree.
Did not know about that… thanks for the link
GDPR does not prevent foreign intelligence agencies from profiling you
Do you have a link to what foreign intelligence agencies you mean cause than I am going to use my right to be forgotten. Cause yea that will work.
Any SIGINT agency that deals with foreign intelligence is likely to have most of your deepest darkest secrets. The ones with most media coverage are NSA and GCHQ. Looking it up isn’t likely to yield very insightful results, other than perhaps some queer documents leaked by Snowden
Probably not considering I live in a generally low risk country (NL) and they can’t have something that doesn’t exist. International intelligence in GDPR countries generally goes through the own countries government unless there are signs that they cannot be trusted.
And they will be really wary of using illegally obtained data on somebody in NL since that will cause for a lot of attention on them and probably issues. So even if they have relevant data they should be hesitant of using it.
Yes, because here in the capitalist USA I am free to choose what phone and carrier I use, and what OS and software my phone have on them. The free market decided that I should have access to bootloader unlockable phones with open source OS and zero shitty Facebook apps spying on me.
Tell me you are blind to privilege without telling me you are blind to privilege…
I get what you are saying but claiming that Capitalism and the Free Market got you there is laughable.
A shit ton of people in the USA do not actually have a choice in carrier and choice of phone seriously depends on how rich you are, the spread is wide!
More importantly, how many people do you think have the tech knowledge (or access to pay) to get an open source OS in their phones?
Yes, you captured yourself perfectly… I couldn’t have done it better
Can you provide more information on how western governments are spying?