Apple iPhones may be prohibited in certain locations for South Korean military personnel

Owing to security concerns, the South Korean military is allegedly thinking of outlawing iPhone use inside of its facilities. The Korean Herald said that the restriction has been considered at Army, Navy, and Air Force headquarters and may affect around 500,000 military members.
The problem stems from Apple’s stringent privacy rules, which prohibit third-party applications from limiting the microphone and USB access of an iPhone.

An internal Air Force memo that said, “Bringing in iPhones will be completely prohibited” starting on June 1st was quoted by the Korean Herald. On the other hand, Android smartphones—such as those from Samsung—would not apply because the security software can manage almost every aspect of them.
The prohibition may affect hundreds of thousands of workers.
If enacted, the prohibition may apply to all 499,800 active members of the Army, Navy, and Air Force in addition to starting at the tri-service headquarters at Gyeryongdae. There are almost 10,000 employees at the headquarters alone who might be directly affected.

“It’s inevitable to block any kind of voice recording…including private phone calls within military buildings,” the Air Force memo said. This clarifies the rationale for security driving.
According to sources, Army troops were prohibited from using iPhones during testing runs that started in April. Formal preparations for an extension were hinted at by an Air Force release on April 11.
Additionally, the military is thinking of extending the hours that troops are allowed to use smartphones—from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
App for security in the center of conflict
The National Defense Mobile Security software, which must be installed on all military devices in order to limit smartphone features like the camera, Wi-Fi, tethering, and microphone in order to avoid data breaches, is the main source of the issue. Except for the camera, the software cannot turn off the microphone, USB ports, or any other hardware on an iPhone due to Apple’s strict privacy protections. On Android operating systems, however, it has complete control over the hardware.
When a call-recording software for iPhones was released in Korea in September, the military became concerned because of the potential hazards to voice privacy.
According to military officials quoted in the paper, the headquarters believes that the iPhone’s noncompliance calls for a complete ban at important security sites like Gyeryongdae, which is home to the service branch commands.
Smartphone usage was previously prohibited at the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s top headquarters due to tougher restrictions. But in 2020, the policy was altered when staff members were required to use a security app. After reviewing the policy, the National Human Rights Commission said that it is excessive to require all staff members to install the security software. They suggested restricting it to certain areas and personnel who are absolutely necessary.