Reports have emerged of Israeli software being pre-installed on Samsung phones, particularly in the MENA region, which harvests user data. One of these ‘bloatware’ apps is AppCloud, developed by Israeli-founded firm ironSource (now under American company ‘Unity’) and known for its questionable data and privacy practices, which is pre-installed on phones within Samsung’s A and M series.

To further increase alarm, it is almost impossible for users to remove this bloatware as it is run on the device’s operating system, requiring advanced removal methods using root access.

To quote SMEX, “Not only does AppCloud silently harvest user data, but its ties to an Israeli firm raise serious legal and ethical questions..” This report is especially troubling given Israel’s track record of using technology, particularly surveillance tech, for egregious human rights violations including those currently being perpetrated in Gaza.