What are the facts behind the new spyware furor.
AFP via Getty Images
Updated Nov. 18 with Samsung’s response to the AppCloud controversy.
You may not have seen the headlines yet — but you will. There’s a furor building on social media with Samsung accused of installing “unremovable Israeli spyware” on Galaxy phones. So, what is this unremovable app really doing on your phone?
The app is AppCloud, which has been around for several years. It’s a marketing app to encourage you to install other apps on your phone. But you can understand why users don’t want unremovable, shadowy apps, regardless of what they’re doing day-to-day.
ForbesWarning—This Message From Amazon Is Not What It SeemsBy Zak Doffman
The current furor started with an “open letter to Samsung” from SMEX, which describes itself as “a non-profit that advocates for and advances human rights in digital spaces across West Asia and North Africa.” The letter asked Samsung to “end forced Israeli-founded bloatware installations.”
The app was developed in Israel by ironSource, which is now part of Unity, a U.S. company that “creates and grows games and interactive experiences across all major platforms from mobile, PC, and console, to extended reality.”
SMEX says it has investigated AppCloud and that it is “unremovable, deeply integrated into the devices’ operating system, making it nearly impossible for regular users to uninstall it without root access, which voids warranties and poses security risks. Even disabling the bloatware is not effective as it can reappear after system updates.”
This open letter is now picking up momentum in the anti-Israeli press and on social media (1,2), which now include unproven claims this “spyware” is collecting user data with links to the Israeli state. This is a marketing app, not a nation state collection tool.
There are also reports that certain countries are now considering banning Samsung devices because of the existence of the app — again none of that is substantiated.
This story shows no signs of slowing down. As Android Authority says, “Samsung has found itself at the center of controversy over an app that’s pre-installed on some of its affordable devices shipped in certain parts of the world,” adding that “what makes it more severe is that AppCloud, given its system app permissions, cannot be easily uninstalled. The app can be removed using ADB commands, although most users are unlikely to be proficient with or aware of these measures.”
Samsung has now responded to the increasing media attention, including a number of highly viral social media posts garnering many millions of views.
The company told me “Samsung takes the protection of our users’ data very seriously and is committed to providing a secure experience in strict compliance with local laws and regulations. We continually strive to enrich our customer experience by collaborating closely with a wide variety of regional and global partners. Samsung’s core principles of security, privacy, and user control ensure our customers have the choice to manage their personal data as they wish, with the highest level of protection possible.”
That does not address the question as to what future choices users may be given to delete the app or give any further detail on the data being captured. But you do not need to worry that there is nation state spyware on millions of phones, including your own. There is not — at least not in this form. AppCloud is not new, this hasn’t just appeared.
But that doesn’t change the awkward optics of unremovable, shadowy apps on phones. There should be an option to delete the app.
ForbesGoogle Chrome Secretly Tracks Your Phone—How To Stop ItBy Zak Doffman
For Galaxy owners, do not be concerned if you find the app — but watch this space. It’s unclear what data is collected, even though it’s marketing focused. And that doesn’t help. It would not be a surprise for Samsung to introduce some form of deletion or uninstall given the tone of some of the posts now circulating online. No apps such as this should be pre-installed without any option to delete or remove. Period.
I have approached Samsung and Unity for any response to the reports.