There was a time when jailbreak was more or less a popular app for circumventing Apple’s limitations and customizing our devices. That was a few years ago, but the method may be experiencing a “renaissance” in the most unexpected country and climate: Democratic People’s Republic of KoreaThe country was briefly ruled by Kim Jong-un.

A report by Lumen and 38 North shows that some North Koreans are tweaking their smartphones despite strict government restrictions. The mechanics are similar to the one commonly practiced in Spain a few years ago – in 2013 our country was in the Top 10 of evasiOn downloads, the jailbreak of iOS66. Of course, motivations vary.

Here’s what North Koreans often look for if used mainly to install apps and software settings that force them to circumvent the manufacturer’s bans: bypass the control of his government.

Defeat “Big Brother”

Internet access for North Korean citizens is quite different from what we are used to in Europe. From the very beginning, only government-approved devices with a range of features that support executive control are used, such as the Pyongyang 2423 and 2413 or Taeyang 8321 tablet. For example, for years devices failed to connect to Wi-Fi, and devices came with an app called Trace Viewer that took and archived random screenshots.

“This is a standard feature of all North Korean smartphones and an always-on reminder. brother is watching when the phone is in use. The software takes random photos when the phone is on and stores them in a directory that cannot be deleted,” he says, reminding how early versions of the app allowed users to view screenshots and this option was disabled.

In addition, access to wireless networks has its own characteristics. After confirming that a foreign embassy offers open Wi-Fi, in August 2014 the North Korean government activated control measures and restricted the possibility of mobile phones connecting. In 2018, he set up his own network in Mirae, Pyongang. It also implements a digital signature system.

“One of the most important control mechanisms used by the North Korean state, digital signature system controls whether applications can be installed or media can be viewed. It is the foundation of most device controls,” said many analysts. The surveillance method was introduced in 2012 and expanded widely over the next two years.

There are North Koreans who are faced with this tight control scenario and decide to change their devices to circumvent government control, despite the sanctions they risk. In the study, they specifically interviewed two hackers who had left the country: a computer science student at Kim II Sung University in Pyongyang and a software engineer working for a state-owned company in China who introduced hacking software in Korea.

The report reveals that “the existence of a minor piracy culture in North Korea” emerged during interviews. “While it is difficult to estimate how many North Koreans have swapped their phones, and respondents did not seem to think it was common practice, the very existence of this particular report implies that this is happening right now. an adequate scale enough for authorities to be aware and potentially alarmed,” the text says.

Opposition or the desire to consult international sources of information, which are banned by the North Korean government, are not the only reasons for jailbreaking and modifying a cell phone in Pyongyang. Some people do this for a much more mundane reason: to make money.

“The motivation for piracy has not always been about breaking state control over the unrestricted consumption of illegal media. Sometimes phones are hacked to wipe file memory to get a higher price in the second-hand market.

Whatever the motivation, the hackers describe how, after switching smartphones, their users could install banned apps like games and access media or watch shows and videos from countries like South Korea. Thanks to jailbreak, they also succeeded delete screenshots they had made the devices as part of the official surveillance system.

Cover Image | Comrades Anatolii (Flickr) and Dan Sloan (Flickr)