Coolpad, a domestic manufacturer, is chosen for replacement programme aimed at boosting security.
German magazine Der Spiegel reported last year on leaked documents from the US National Security Administration that claimed the NSA had built a backdoor in Apple software that allowed data to be sent or retrieved from handsets.
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Shanghai civil service rolls out non-Apple smartphone programme
Coolpad, a domestic manufacturer, is chosen for replacement programme aimed at boosting security
Daniel Ren
13 September 2014
Thousands of Shanghai civil servants were given a new work smartphone last week as part of a municipal government effort to bolster information security and spread home-grown brands.
The workers received a device made by Coolpad, which was ranked third in the mainland smartphone market by tech research firm IDC. The phone passed encryption tests and officials apparently believe it is safe from hackers.
It’s a 4G model that retails for 1,990 yuan (HK$2,510), and about 10,000 workers had received the phone, three officials said. That would put the total cost - before any bulk order discounts - at about 20 million yuan. If the programme is extended to the city’s entire workforce of 150,000 civil servants, the bill could run as high as 300 million yuan.
The central government is rethinking its telecommunications security amid allegations Apple’s iPhone isn’t very secure. German magazine Der Spiegel reported last year on leaked documents from the US National Security Administration that claimed the NSA had built a backdoor in Apple software that allowed data to be sent or retrieved from handsets.
The software would allow a remote user to pull all photos, e-mails and contact details from a handset and even activate the microphone and camera function - all without alerting the owner.
Apple denied it had worked with the spy organisation on a backdoor and said it constantly monitored threats to customers’ security.
Then in July, state broadcaster CCTV reported the iPhone’s frequent location tracking software could allow the company to determine the movements of a user, which posed a threat to national security. Apple responded by saying the data was stored on the smartphone and protected by a user password.
But will domestic smartphones prove to be more secure? Shanghai’s push to switch to mainland brands is believed to herald a national government effort to buy local when information technology is at stake. Local industry officials wasted no time in insisting Chinese brands were trusted by the government.
Wang Yanhui, secretary general of the China Mobile Phone Alliance, told the Global Times the local brands were well-positioned to work closely with the authorities to tailor products to requirements, but he admitted domestic firms had no advantage in encryption technology over foreign rivals.
Even if Beijing has soured on Apple, mainland consumers remain fans. Along with South Korea’s Samsung, it’s one of the most popular smartphone brands on the mainland. Word that the mainland would not be among the first places to receive the new iPhone 6 had many consumers venting in online posts. They have paid scant attention to a plea People’s Daily made in March for mainland consumers to “strike away Apple’s unparalleled arrogance”.
Xiang Ligang, founder of telecommunications portal operator CCTime, said the government purchase of domestic smartphones represented a huge boon and a stable market for local manufacturers.
For some Shanghai officials, the question of whether Coolpad is more secure is irrelevant. Amid the crackdown on graft and improper gift-giving, a shiny gadget from the government is a rare bonus.
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