"SAN FRANCISCO — Google’s master software for some Android phones includes a hidden feature that is insecure and could be activated to allow remote control or spying on users, according to a security company that found it inside phones at a U.S. intelligence contractor. The feature appears intended to give employees at stores selling Pixel phones and other models deep access to the devices so they can demonstrate how they work, according to researchers at iVerify who shared their findings with The Washington Post. The discovery and Google’s lack of explanation alarmed the intelligence contractor, data analysis platform vendor Palantir Technologies, to the extent that it has stopped issuing Android phones to employees, Palantir told The Post..." https://www.washingtonpost.com/tech...-with-hidden-insecure-feature-companies-find/
Sorry, paywall for me so I must Ask: does it only affect phones manufactured by Google (Pixel) or also others like Samsung?
Sorry about the paywall. In the past Washington Post allowed three free articles per month for non-subscribers. I was not aware that policy has apparently been changed. If I had known I would not have posted to it. It's not clear from the article if only Pixel phones are affected.
Here's a link to another article reporting the issue:: "Google Pixel phones sold with security vulnerability, report finds..." https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/15/24221151/google-pixel-showcase-software-spyware-palantir-iverify
Verizon or not, it seems like a supplier gave Palantir bugged phones and Google couldn't, or didn't wanted to, help with tracing where in the supply chain problem began.
It's probably the Japan part and not the unlocked part as to why yours is fine. Probably more likely a regional issue than a carrier one.
