Amongst all the fuss regarding Huawei’s ban from NBN bidding on security grounds, it’s interesting to note that another company that has its products manufactured in China has passed Defence department authorisation: Apple.
ITNews reports that the Defence Signals Directorate has authorised use of iOS devices, as long as they’re running iOS 5 for departments up to the “protected” level in Federal Government. There are guidelines and things that can’t be done — at “protected” level, users shouldn’t be allowed to install apps, for example. iCloud backup is (logically enough) forbidden at that level as well, although at lower security levels it’s apparently up to agency assessment. The screenshot ability should be removed — again, it’s easy to see why — and webmail access should be restricted. Apparently, even within these restrictions, there’s a number of Apple-based projects underway at the Defence Department. [ITNews]
iOS 5 Cleared For Defence Department Work
