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Turkish cybersecurity experts warned Friday that Israeli technology embedded in smartphones poses potential security risks, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent statement that mobile phones contain "a piece of Israel."
Speaking to Turkish media outlet Türkiye daily, experts highlighted that critical components of major smartphone brands are manufactured in Israel and that Israeli-developed applications may compromise user privacy and data security.
Netanyahu recently told U.S. congressional members: "Those cell phones you're holding in your hands are part of Israel," according to Turkish cybersecurity experts who interpreted the statement as a message to governments that "we are in your bedroom."
Cybersecurity expert Ersin Cahmutoglu explained the extent of Israeli involvement in smartphone technology: "Let's not forget that some critical components such as chips, software and sensors of mobile phones belonging to companies like Apple and Samsung are produced in Israel."
"Global chip manufacturers Nvidia and Intel have billion-dollar investments in Israel," he noted.
He added that social media platforms and messaging applications have been repeatedly exposed for sharing data with Israeli intelligence: "The transfer of data to Israel by social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Google, and messaging applications such as WhatsApp, and the sharing of WhatsApp correspondence, posts and personal information with Israeli intelligence have been revealed many times."
An unnamed cybersecurity expert, speaking on condition of anonymity to Türkiye daily, described Israel's systematic approach to technology sales through lobbying activities.
"There is a team in Israel called Unit 8200, which is affiliated with the army. Those who complete military service in Israel come together under the coordination of this unit and produce projects on software and cybersecurity," the expert said.
"The core technologies emerging from here are turned into products and their supporters in the U.S. are asked to invest. Then these products are sold to international companies under their control in the U.S. through lobbying activities," the expert added.
The expert later claimed these products are subsequently sold to other countries using those institutions as references: "They do this to enter governments' bedrooms and use it when needed. When the time comes, as in the Hezbollah incident, they press a button and detonate the devices."
Arabic Post reported on Wednesday regarding concerns about an Israeli application called "AppCloud" pre-installed on Samsung devices without users' knowledge. The application, developed by Israeli company IronSource based in Tel Aviv, cannot be uninstalled by users.
According to the report, the application appears on Samsung devices in two ways:
The SMEX, which specializes in digital user rights, described the application as "intrusive" and suggested its role may extend beyond suggesting game applications, raising concerns about privacy and personal data security.
"The installation of AppCloud is done without any consent from the user, which violates GDPR provisions in the EU and relevant data protection laws in the WANA region states," the SMEX noted.
"AppCloud is developed by ironSource, an Israel-founded company (now acquired by American company Unity), raising additional legal and ethical concerns in countries where Israeli companies are barred from operating, such as Lebanon. ironSource is notorious for its questionable practices regarding user consent and data privacy," the SMEX added.
Turkish media outlets also raised concerns about the Moovit transportation application's connections to Israel.
Reports claim the app's founder received training at the Israeli military's IT academy and that one of its investors is a former programmer in Unit 8200, which reportedly monitors global communications.
"Israel is tracking our every step with the Moovit application," one Turkish media outlet claimed.
The anonymous cybersecurity expert revealed challenges faced by Turkish domestic software developers in competing with Israeli products.
"We developed domestic software that detects malware. We exported it to 35 countries in five years. However, we could not sell it to public institutions in Türkiye because Israeli-origin software is cheaper," the expert said.
"Since the public sector looks at the issue from a price perspective, they prefer them," the anonymous cybersecurity expert noted.
The expert described a recent incident: "Last month, an interesting event occurred. We detected malware that only targets Türkiye. The FBI requested information from us. We also shared this report with public institutions, but no action was taken."
Cahmutoglu lastly emphasized that Israeli-origin companies produce advanced spyware not only in Israel but also establish companies in Europe and the U.S. to create cyber weapons.
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