"Edward Snowden never uses an iPhone, he has a simple phone," his lawyer told Ria Novosti. Edward Snowden Anatoliy Kucherena. "IPhone has special software that can activate itself without the user pushing a button, and gathers information about it. So he refuses to use this phone for security reasons, "Kucerena said Sputnik News, the English-language service of Ria Novosti. Following Snowden's 2013 revelations about the mass surveillance program by the US NSA and Britain's GCHQ, Apple and other internet giants such as Google and Facebook denied they were working together actively. They even asked the American government to change the legislation on collection personal data.
In addition, Apple has enhanced the security of its devices and even supports the new version of its operating system, iOS 8, impossible decrypting user data by law enforcement authorities, even if they have a search warrant.
However, an NSA document dating back to 2010 has recently become public reveals that the British GCHQ was monitoring iPhone users through their unique UDIDs. Apple has abandoned the UDID system 2013.
Documents that Snowden has uncovered so far do not contain reports of hidden spyware on iPhone, but there is still a lot of material that is believed to have not been published so far.
Snowden remains wanted in the US on a number of charges including espionage and theft government documents. Since 2013 he has been living with his girlfriend in Moscow who granted him asylum and a three-year residence permit.
Editing: Vangelis Pratikakis
