© UnknownThis file photo shows South Korean soldiers during an anti-terror drill in Incheon, on June 13, 2013. S.Korea's defence ministry said on Monday it has ordered its staff to install a smartphone application that restricts key functions like the camera in an attempt to prevent military leaks.
South Korea's defence ministry said on Monday it has ordered its staff to install a smartphone application that restricts key functions like the camera in an attempt to prevent military leaks.
The ministry said that, from Monday, its 1,500 staff are no longer allowed to bring smartphones into their offices without installing the app, called "Mobile Management Device".
The order caused a long queue at the gates of the ministry on Monday because some 20 percent of the staff had failed to install the app, officials said.
The ministry declined to confirm a report by Yonhap news agency that some staff had refused to install the app due to concerns about privacy.
Ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told reporters that the app, which restricts the use of cameras and audio recording, prevents leaks through smartphones and stops outsiders from hacking into the 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," he said.
Comment: In short, Thor's vast circle of contacts told him what to write because he himself is basically a government agent. This is another nail in the coffin of the notion that 'the NSA leaks' caught the global surveillance superstate with its pants down.