Amaya Toman Apple buys French AI startup The acquisition as such took place already in December of last year, but news about it only began to spread during the past week. In addition to this topic, today's summary will discuss how and why the South Korean military banned the use of iPhones.
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South Korean military bans iPhones
South Korea's military is considering extending a ban on the use of iPhones to all of its soldiers. The move raises questions about the real reasons and its potential effectiveness. Originally, the ban only applied to the South Korean Air Force and was justified by security concerns. Specifically, it was the ability to record voice on devices that cannot be restricted by a mobile device management (MDM) application to third-party access to the microphone. Interestingly, the ban applies to all smartphone brands with this feature, but the report specifically mentions the iPhone. Conversely, devices with the Android operating system, such as Samsung phones, are exempt from this ban.
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The move is questionable because seven out of ten South Korean soldiers use Samsung phones. The ban could thus be more of a symbolic gesture than a real security measure. Another doubt is the MDM system of the South Korean army itself. According to military sources, this system cannot effectively block audio recording on iPhones, although MDM camera restrictions work. At the same time, there are complaints about the inconsistent functioning of the system depending on the brand, model and operating system of the phone. Although the military plans to fix the flaws in the system on the Android platform with an update, a total ban on iPhones seems like an unnecessarily drastic solution. Limiting the use of smartphones in sensitive devices is a common security measure. However, a blanket ban is unusual and may be more indicative of deficiencies in security training, compliance and access control. Extending the iPhone ban to the entire military thus raises questions about real motives and points to potential problems with access to technology and national security in South Korea.
Apple and the purchase of a French AI startup
Apple has quietly bought French startup Datakalab, which specializes in artificial intelligence compression and computer vision technology. The acquisition took place already in December last year. Among other things, Datakalab stated on its – now defunct – website that it is an expert on "low-cost, high-performance deep learning algorithms that work directly on the device". Datakalab focuses on image analysis from cameras and measuring the movement of people in public spaces. The obtained image information is immediately anonymized and statistically processed on the spot within 100 milliseconds. The company does not store any images or personal data, only statistical data. For example, it also collaborated with the French government, for which it deployed artificial intelligence tools in the transport system to help verify whether people are wearing masks. Neither Apple nor Datakalab officially announced the acquisition, the news appeared in the French magazine Challenges.
