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North Korean Android smartphones turned out to be tools for total surveillance
YouTuber Arun Maini, author of the channel MrWhosetheboss, got his hands on a rare find—two genuine North Korean smartphones—and demonstrated the depth of the state's control over its citizens' devices. These devices, according to the authorities, were never intended to leave the country, but now we can see what digital life is like in one of the world's most secretive regimes.
In a video titled " Testing North Korea's Illegal Smartphones, " Maini disassembles two phones: a basic budget handset and a more sophisticated model, the Samsung 8.
Both run Android 10 and 11, but this is merely the veneer of a normal operating system. In fact, these are completely redesigned versions of the OS, where every element is subject to censorship, propaganda, and total surveillance.
The first thing that strikes you is the inability to type "incorrect" words. Trying to type "South Korea" automatically turns into "puppet state," and mentioning modern slang or popular Korean shows triggers warnings or text replacement with approved wording. The system simply blocks some words.
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The phones don't have internet access in the traditional sense. Instead, they use a closed intranet with government websites. You can't even change the time: the time zone, date, and synchronization are completely controlled by the regime.
Most apps are fake. There's a browser, camera, calendar, and music player, but these are custom versions embedded in an information bubble. Some apps won't open, while others only display propaganda. Entertainment is also monitored: authorized games, Russian and Indian films, and biographical materials about North Korean leaders have been found on the phones.
Installing new apps is impossible. You have to go to the official store, where an employee will install the app manually, with a time limit. Files and photos are automatically digitally signed, and any "foreign" content is deleted.
Most alarming is the covert surveillance system. The phone takes a screenshot every time the user opens an app. As a result, a complete visual history of the owner's actions is stored on the device. Transferring photos or files is impossible, Bluetooth is blocked, and the file manager is almost completely inaccessible.
All this transforms the smartphone from a personal device into a tool of control. As Maini concludes, in North Korea, the very idea of a personal gadget simply does not exist—phones are created not for the user, but for the state.
YouTuber Arun Maini, author of the channel MrWhosetheboss, got his hands on a rare find—two genuine North Korean smartphones—and demonstrated the depth of the state's control over its citizens' devices. These devices, according to the authorities, were never intended to leave the country, but now we can see what digital life is like in one of the world's most secretive regimes.
In a video titled " Testing North Korea's Illegal Smartphones, " Maini disassembles two phones: a basic budget handset and a more sophisticated model, the Samsung 8.
Both run Android 10 and 11, but this is merely the veneer of a normal operating system. In fact, these are completely redesigned versions of the OS, where every element is subject to censorship, propaganda, and total surveillance.
The first thing that strikes you is the inability to type "incorrect" words. Trying to type "South Korea" automatically turns into "puppet state," and mentioning modern slang or popular Korean shows triggers warnings or text replacement with approved wording. The system simply blocks some words.
[td]
The phones don't have internet access in the traditional sense. Instead, they use a closed intranet with government websites. You can't even change the time: the time zone, date, and synchronization are completely controlled by the regime.
Most apps are fake. There's a browser, camera, calendar, and music player, but these are custom versions embedded in an information bubble. Some apps won't open, while others only display propaganda. Entertainment is also monitored: authorized games, Russian and Indian films, and biographical materials about North Korean leaders have been found on the phones.
Installing new apps is impossible. You have to go to the official store, where an employee will install the app manually, with a time limit. Files and photos are automatically digitally signed, and any "foreign" content is deleted.
Most alarming is the covert surveillance system. The phone takes a screenshot every time the user opens an app. As a result, a complete visual history of the owner's actions is stored on the device. Transferring photos or files is impossible, Bluetooth is blocked, and the file manager is almost completely inaccessible.
All this transforms the smartphone from a personal device into a tool of control. As Maini concludes, in North Korea, the very idea of a personal gadget simply does not exist—phones are created not for the user, but for the state.