Summary: Samsung is treading bravely towards an oppressive digital world and is playing a role in this oppression

SEVERAL politicians are making mandatory the inclusion of nasty back doors, or at least trying to do so [1,2]. "Apple has actually already implemented a kill-switch like feature on its iPhones, as of the iOS 7," quotes iophk from the CIA-connected press, and "Samsung has also said it's working on a similar feature." Sosumi adds that "the killswitch and features of remote lock and wipe on the iPhone have been around since the iPhone 3G, aka 2008" (that's six years ago).

Proprietary software tends to be inherently malicious. Is it said that an Android backer like Samsung goes down the same route. We already called for a boycott of Samsung in 2007 and reiterated the call last year. The company is freedom-hostile in several other areas and it mimics the Orwellian 'features' of Apple. Samsung is now helping the surveillance state [3] and it's a shame because it shines a negative light on Android (already surveillance-leaning), Samsung being the biggest seller of Android devices [4] (the biggest/most popular operating system in the world [5]). Not only Android is affected because Samsung now makes Tizen-based wearable surveillance [6], too. ⬆

Related/contextual items from the news:

1. Smartphone Kill Switch Could Become Federal Law





2. Federal smartphone kill-switch legislation proposed





3. Galaxy S5 finger print scanner confirmed and explained

   It seems like Samsung will go head to head with Apple again this year, and they will, barring some unforeseen catastrophe, maintain their spot as the ‘King of Android’. I just wish that they would have implemented on screen buttons like so many others are doing, but, they are the world wide leaders in sales after all; who am I to judge? Here’s to hoping that their implementation of the scanner works a lot better than HTC’s recent attempt with the One Max, and that their users grow to love it.





4. Samsung leads Android pack in enterprise, but Lenovo looms

   Samsung dominates the Android enterprise charge, but Motorola has a sizeable chunk of the devices in the field, according to data compiled by Fiberlink. The real fun for Android in the enterprise will come when Lenovo closes its Motorola Mobility acquisition from Google.





5. Android: The Most Popular OS In The World

   We have been having the biggest debate of the mobile world for a few years now… Android, or iOS? Each of them have their own major perks. Android has its insane amount of customization possibilities, and iOS has its ease of use (just to name a few). However, a new report from the IDC shows us some irrefutable proof: Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world. Over the last three years, the Android operating system market share, in percentages of global unit shipments, has increased by roughly 29.6%, while iOS has dropped 3.6%. Windows Phone has surprisingly gained 1.5%, and BlackBerry has dropped 9.4%. As of May of last year, Samsung held the title of the first place, but that is to be expected.





6. Tizen-based Samsung smartwatch rumored

   The next version of Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch will run the Linux-based Tizen operating system instead of Android, suggests a USA Today report.