The cell phone smuggled out of North Korea that alters your messages and takes secret screenshots for the government

Think TikTok is taking over your life? Are you sick and tired of being a slave to the black rectangle in your hand? Well, you’re in luck.

Coming to a store near you, the brand new cell phone from everyone’s favourite social democracy, North Korea!

In a rare glimpse behind the digital curtain of one of the world’s most protected societies, a smartphone smuggled out of North Korea has revealed just how deeply the state controls even the smallest details of its citizens. I say citizens, but that’s like calling your guinea pig a citizen of 64 Acacia Drive.

Analysed by independent experts and technology whizzes on YouTube who wear zip-up sweatshirts and band tees, this device showcases an information ecosystem specifically designed for conformity and, to put it bluntly, spying.

It gives a whole new meaning to the idea of being a slave to technology.

At first glance, the phone appears to look like any other featureless slab, and is a basic touchscreen device similar in shape and size to many global models. But beneath the surface, its software is constantly monitoring everything you do. Creepy James Bond, eat your heart out.

Text alterations and being told off

Ordinary typing is subject to rigged autocorrect rules that enforce political language and ban unapproved terms, and references to South Korea are automatically transformed into phrases that echo official state rhetoric. For example, the name of the neighbouring country “Namhan” is changed instantly to “puppet state”, and popular slang from the South, such as “oppa,” which could refer to an older brother or boyfriend, is corrected to “comrade”. Typing out “Republic of Korea” simply comes back with a string of asterisks, as though one is swearing.

Along with that, you get a stern telling-off from the system every time your lingo steps out line. Oh, and you can’t type Kim Jong Un without the phone turning it into bold text. Please, nobody tell Trump about this.

Both phones that have been seen outside of the borders, the Haeyang 701 and the Samtaesang 8, are designed to block global connectivity entirely and although the former model shows a WiFi icon, there is nothing to be seen within the device that would allow it to connect to a signal.

Secret screenshots every 5 minutes

Of course, you can use Mirae, the state-controlled intranet service. But for that you need a government ID and an authenticated North Korean SIM card. The network, unsurprisingly, is a Trump wet dream, and offers only curated content, such as official news and pre-approved apps, all vetted by authorities.

Installing new applications is also a painstaking process, and one which takes me back to the days of renting VHS tapes at Blockbuster. Unlike modern devices where we can simply download apps while playing Wii Tennis, the North Korean phones require physical authorisation at designated service points for each app. What’s more, they also expire after a few months, so you don’t get lazy.

The creepiest thing for me, however, was not the text alteration, nor the state intranet. It was the deeply-hidden, untraceable, unalterable software that monitors your activity, regulates your app usage, and captures screenshots of your device at regular intervals without user consent.

They are inaccessible to the owner but available to state monitors and western analysts believe this feature creates a visual record of how the phone is used, offering authorities another way to track your behaviour. Anyway, back to TikTok.

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