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Israeli-founded app preloaded on Samsung phones is attracting controversy

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Re: Israeli-founded app preloaded on Samsung phones is attracting controversy

#41

Post by zapataband2 »

zapataband2 wrote: post #25
AlexandrB wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you suggesting this software will somehow be able to make a phone explode? The pagers weren't just normal pagers with malware, I'm pretty sure they were loaded with actual explosives.

Yes, software was involved in the pager attacks, and software can be used to overheat and cause malfunction(which in the case of lithium ion can cause explosions, hazardous gases, and fire). Another example of a software-based attack that damages hardware is Stuxnet(there were no explosives either as part of this attack).

Downvoting facts? You might not be thinking about this topic rationally.

Re: Israeli-founded app preloaded on Samsung phones is attracting controversy

#42

Post by trollbridge »

tehjoker wrote: post #22
dogma1138 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

As a Jew, the soon as I hear "Israel" and "App" I think of Pegasus. In this genocide, the Israeli government has shown it will cross any line. Remember the pager attack? So I would like there to be zero Israeli controlled products anywhere near me. That plus everyone should be engaged in boycotts divestment and sanctions against the regime.

And as someone who worked for multiple cyber firms out of Israel… it’s entirely reasonable to double-check that apps from Israeli firms don’t have a dual purpose to feed data to Western intelligence agencies.

Re: Israeli-founded app preloaded on Samsung phones is attracting controversy

#43

Post by myth_drannon »

alephnerd wrote: post #30
hersko wrote: post #12

So a Unity owned bloatware company being used by Samsung is now somehow controversial because it was founded in Israel? Am i reading this right?

That's not the controversy based on the article - it's arguing that because the app is Israeli in origin, it may run afoul of local BDS laws thus another reason for AppCloud to be removed from local device, which is notable because the AppCloud app only appears to be installed on African, Asian, and MENA Samsung phones, where the bulk of countries with BDS laws exist. The article doesn't appear to take a side one way…

There is no such thing as BDS laws, only anti-BDS laws. Some muslim countries boycott Israeli-made products, But since Israel is a tech powerhouse only behind the US, almost every tech is Israeli-made at least partially, so again, trying to enforce any boycott is stupid.

Re: Israeli-founded app preloaded on Samsung phones is attracting controversy

#44

Post by ipaddr »

HeinzStuckeIt wrote: post #36
xethos wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, and that's the exact point I would make. The problem though, is I want a small phone with a headphone jack (and a physical keyboard, but that's orthogonal to the point). Many OEMs sell their flagship as a shiny glass slab with only BT or USB-C for audio, and ship 3.5mm jacks and other "antiquated niceties" like a uSD card reader, on their lower-end models. It's difficult to square the circle of "I want these…

I must admit, I don’t get the wish for 3.5mm headphone jacks in 2025. Already six years ago, with a phone that actually still had a headphone jack, I bought myself for just a few euro a Bluetooth DAC (a FiiO) that had superior sound quality to any phone’s audio-out that I had ever used. With a Bluetooth DAC (or with any USB-C to 3.5mm converter that costs pennies) you can still use whatever wired headphones you want…

Bluetooth wastes batteries / alter soubd.

Re: Israeli-founded app preloaded on Samsung phones is attracting controversy

#45

Post by asacrowflies »

hersko wrote: post #12

So a Unity owned bloatware company being used by Samsung is now somehow controversial because it was founded in Israel? Am i reading this right?

Seems reasonable. Same way "Russian" companies are shady. Doesn't matter if they do something inane . This is really basic geopolitics that only had a short respite... Like less than 30 year period as cold war slowed. This is very normal.

Re: Israeli-founded app preloaded on Samsung phones is attracting controversy

#47

Post by Vinnl »

snypher wrote: post #35
hyghjiyhu wrote: post #26

Edited. This seems to be according worldwide despite the article saying it's in West Asia and Africa.

Why, is privacy less valuable there?

It tells readers whether they might or might not be affected.

Re: Israeli-founded app preloaded on Samsung phones is attracting controversy

#48

Post by ebbi »

jameshilliard wrote: post #31
pbiggar wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I added more context above to clarify the point I was making (which I thought would be self-evident, but I guess it was a bit more obscure than I thought)

[flagged]

[flagged]

Re: Israeli-founded app preloaded on Samsung phones is attracting controversy

#49

Post by [deleted] »

zapataband2 wrote: post #27
zahlman wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GP self-describes as "Cofounder of Tech for Palestine", so making that sort of mental association is not unexpected.

It's a pretty well established phenomenon and he cites israeli leaders. no need for ad-hominem attacks. What's your argument for allowing spyware?

[deleted]

Re: Israeli-founded app preloaded on Samsung phones is attracting controversy

#50

Post by shevy-java »

SpyApps everywhere.

Hopefully one day we not only have open software, open hardware but also reproducibly guaranteed secure systems. Now I don't have any idea how this could be verified (and no, Microsoft's "Trusted Computing" is not what I have in mind), but I hope we'll see to this eventually.

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