South Korea’s defence ministry has ordered its staff to install an application designed to restrict the use of certain functions of their smartphones in an attempt to prevent military leaks.
Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the app, which restricts the use of cameras and audio recording, prevents leaks through smartphones and stops potential hacking attacks on devices of defence ministry officials.
“We’ve developed a system to restrict the core functions of smartphones because of concerns that our work could be leaked through them,” Kim told reporters.
From Monday, its 1,500 staff are no longer allowed to bring smartphones into their offices without installing the “Mobile Management Device” app, which only works on the ministry’s premises.
Although some staff refused to install the app due to concerns about privacy.
The ministry said it is looking to make the app available for all South Korean soldiers, reports AFP.
