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According to The Korea Gerald, the South Korean military is considering a complete ban on use of Apple iPhones on military installations due to concerns about possible leakage of sensitive information through voice recordings.
A group of senior officers, who wished to remain anonymous, said that on April 11, the country's air force headquarters published an announcement on the military's internal network server, which included instructions for a complete ban on any device capable of recording voice and not allowing third-party applications to control their functions starting June 1. Specifically, iPhones are identified as devices subject to the ban. The decision to ban iPhones in the Korean Army was made at joint meetings held by the Army, Navy and Air Force headquarters.
“It is inevitable to block any kind of voice recording, not only formal communication, including meetings, office conversations, business announcements and complaints and public consultations, but also informal communication such as private telephone calls (within military installations),” the document says.
The ban would have to cover all types of smartphones, smartwatches and other wearable devices. Sources, however, claimed that Android smartphones, mainly from Samsung Electronics, will be exempt from the ban, while the document explicitly states that “bringing iPhones will be completely prohibited.”
- The reason why iPhones will be banned and Android smartphones such as Samsung's Galaxy series is allegedly because iPhones do not fully comply with the restrictions set out by National Defense Mobile Security, a military application for mobile device management. When a security app is activated, it limits several smartphone functions, including the camera, Wi-Fi, tethering, USB functions, and microphone. However, Apple does not allow third-party apps to control iPhone features other than the camera.
Discussions about a potential iPhone ban began last September when SK Telecom, the country's leading telecom operator, introduced an unprecedented call recording feature for iPhone through the A-Dot app. Apple's iPhone does not initially support call recording capabilities due to privacy concerns, as many US states, including California, prohibit recording voice calls without the other person's consent.
In Korea, recording a call is legal, but cases of abuse, such as violation of privacy, may be subject to legal penalties. Many Galaxy users say that they continue to use Samsung phones mainly because of the call recording feature. Nearly seven out of 10 Koreans use Galaxy phones.
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Military security app is criticized for being unreliable. Depending on what version of Android is installed on the phone, the application. However, another military official said the flaw would likely be fixed later through an update.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea ruled in March that requiring all military personnel in every location to establish a security program is an excessive restriction of human rights. The Commission recommended that the Secretary of Defense create a provision for mandatory installation of a security application in the relevant military security law. It is also recommended to limit mandatory installation of the program to essential personnel and locations only.
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