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Samsung Embeds Israeli Surveillance App on Phones Across MENA (www.moroccoworldnews.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 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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[-] sun@slrpnk.net 22 points 2 weeks ago

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

[-] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Godot for the win

this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2025

342 points (100.0% liked)

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