'Secret software': Your iPhone could be used to spy on you, says Snowden
Whistleblower's lawyer says iPhone has a software that can activate itself and gather information about the owner
A file photo of Edward Snowden. PHOTO: REUTERS
National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden has revealed the iPhone has a secret spyware that allows governments to watch users without their knowledge.
Snowden’s lawyer claims the whistleblower doesn’t use a phone because of the secret software, according to The Independent.
"Edward never uses an iPhone, he’s got a simple phone," his lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena told Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
"The iPhone has a special software that can activate itself without the owner having to press a button and gather information about him, that’s why on security grounds, he refused to have this phone," Kucherena added.
Apple has been active in making the iPhone harder for security services to spy on, and the company said that iOS 8 made it impossible for law enforcement to extract users’ personal data, even if they have a warrant.
The company has also been active in campaigning for privacy reform after the Snowden revelations, joining with Facebook and Google to call for changes to the law.
But recently published files from the NSA showed that British agency GCHQ used the phones' UDIDs — the unique identifier that each iPhone has — to track users. While there doesn’t seem to be any mention of such spying software in any of the revelations so far, a range of documents are thought to be still unpublished.
Snowden’s lawyer claims the whistleblower doesn’t use a phone because of the secret software, according to The Independent.
"Edward never uses an iPhone, he’s got a simple phone," his lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena told Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
"The iPhone has a special software that can activate itself without the owner having to press a button and gather information about him, that’s why on security grounds, he refused to have this phone," Kucherena added.
Apple has been active in making the iPhone harder for security services to spy on, and the company said that iOS 8 made it impossible for law enforcement to extract users’ personal data, even if they have a warrant.
The company has also been active in campaigning for privacy reform after the Snowden revelations, joining with Facebook and Google to call for changes to the law.
But recently published files from the NSA showed that British agency GCHQ used the phones' UDIDs — the unique identifier that each iPhone has — to track users. While there doesn’t seem to be any mention of such spying software in any of the revelations so far, a range of documents are thought to be still unpublished.