Attention Samsung Galaxy Owners: Pre-Installed app Sparks Privacy Concerns
Istanbul, Turkey – A pre-installed application on select Samsung Galaxy smartphones, dubbed AppCloud, is facing scrutiny over claims it collects user data and cannot be fully removed from devices. The controversy centers on the app, found on more affordable models like the Galaxy A and Galaxy M series, and allegations of its origins with Israeli developers, sparking particular concern in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
AppCloud is presented by Samsung as a system application designed to offer app recommendations and personalized content. However, cybersecurity experts and users are raising alarms, asserting the application can install third-party software, gather user data, and persists even after attempts to disable it – reactivating following system updates and continuing to operate in the background. This has led to accusations that samsung is violating user privacy.
Reports circulating online describe AppCloud as “Israeli spyware that cannot be removed,” with some attributing its progress to ironSource or companies based in Israel affiliated with it. While Samsung maintains AppCloud is a legitimate system application, users report it can only be disabled, not deleted, and remains capable of installing other software.
Digital rights advocacy group SMEX has condemned the practice, stating it is indeed “systematically imposed, especially in Arab countries,” and warns user data might potentially be transferred to third parties without consent. The organization has formally called on Samsung to remove the application.
“This raises serious questions about data security and user control,” said Mehmet Yaman,the correspondent reporting on the issue. “The inability to fully remove the app, coupled with concerns about its origins, is understandably causing alarm among Samsung customers.”
