Yes, Google's code processes every touch, they wrote Android after all, so you are technically correct.

Is it all being sent somewhere from every Android device? Of course not, that's ridiculous. Individual apps might have various levels of usage analytics though.

Archived Link

A smartphone smuggled out of North Korea is offering a rare – and unsettling – glimpse into the extent of control Kim Jong Un's regime exerts over its citizens, down to the very words they type. While the device appears outwardly similar to any modern smartphone, its software reveals a far more oppressive reality.
The phone was featured in a BBC video, which showed it powering on with an animated North Korean flag waving across the screen. While the report did not specify the brand, the design and user interface closely resembled those of a Huawei or Honor device.

It's unclear whether these companies officially sell phones in North Korea, but if they do, the devices are likely customized with state-approved software designed to restrict functionality and facilitate government surveillance.

One of the more revealing – and darkly amusing – features was the phone's automatic censorship of words deemed problematic by the state. For instance, when users typed oppa, a South Korean term used to refer to an older brother or a boyfriend, the phone automatically replaced it with comrade. A warning would then appear, admonishing the user that oppa could only refer to an older sibling.

Typing "South Korea" would trigger another change. The phrase was automatically replaced with "puppet state," reflecting the language used in official North Korean rhetoric.

Then came the more unsettling features. The phone silently captured a screenshot every five minutes, storing the images in a hidden folder that users couldn't access. According to the BBC, authorities could later review these images to monitor the user's activity.

The device was smuggled out of North Korea by Daily NK, a Seoul-based media outlet specializing in North Korean affairs. After examining the phone, the BBC confirmed that the censorship mechanisms were deeply embedded in its software. Experts say this technology is designed not only to control information but also to reinforce state messaging at the most personal level.

Smartphone usage has grown in North Korea in recent years, but access remains tightly controlled. Devices cannot connect to the global internet and are subject to intense government surveillance.

The regime has reportedly intensified efforts to eliminate South Korean cultural influence, which it views as subversive. So-called "youth crackdown squads" have been deployed to enforce these rules, frequently stopping young people on the streets to inspect their phones and review text messages for banned language.

Some North Korean escapees have shared that exposure to South Korean dramas or foreign radio broadcasts played a key role in their decision to flee the country. Despite the risks, outside media continues to be smuggled in – often via USB sticks and memory cards hidden in food shipments. Much of this effort is supported by foreign organizations.

but being put in prison because you don’t want to starve to death

That is the main reason people are in prison in the West, you're just privileged.

That's the difference between North Korea and the western world:

In North Korea the government forces spyware onto your device.

In the western world, people share their data voluntarily and publicly.

Instagram, Facebook, Dropbox and Co. made it possible.

Yep, confunding dictatorships with google, sweeping Kim's regimes horrors under the mat.

It's almost like yes we have problems in our democracies but being put in prison because you don't want to starve to death isn't really on the list for us.

There is certainly validity in the concept that no known instance of exploitation exists. However that is only anecdotal. The potential exists. Naïve trust in others has a terrible track record on these scales of ethics. Every instruction and register should be fully documented for every product sold.

An adequate webp image is only a few tens of kilobytes. Most people now have a bridged connection between their home network and cellular, unless they go out of their way to block it. Periodic screenshots are rather crazy. It would be much easier to target specific keywords and patterns.

North korean are forced to use a smartphone?

this guy eating up the propaganda.

Depend of the country and or states. US have prison or starving on his list. Europe is a little better.

Hm, only screenshots? By the way, this pales in comparison to what Google collects by default on every Android device. It's really crazy. Have you seen the details of what they collect? Google literally logs every touch, along with the names of buttons and apps. You can turn this off in your Google account settings on Android, but most people don't realize what's being collected or how to turn it off.

Oh yes the main reason people are in western prisons is because ... They do not want to starve to death.

Are you an AI bot just reversing comments?

Most crime in the West is driven by poverty, yes. So unless you're saying that NK literally convicts people for the formal, on the books crime of "not wanting to starve", then it's the same principle.

But I assume you already know you're wrong, based on the fact you're bringing out the personal attacks

That's the difference between North Korea and the western world:

In North Korea the government forces spyware onto your device.

In the western world, people share their data voluntarily and publicly.

Instagram, Facebook, Dropbox and Co. made it possible.

Archived Link

A smartphone smuggled out of North Korea is offering a rare – and unsettling – glimpse into the extent of control Kim Jong Un's regime exerts over its citizens, down to the very words they type. While the device appears outwardly similar to any modern smartphone, its software reveals a far more oppressive reality.
The phone was featured in a BBC video, which showed it powering on with an animated North Korean flag waving across the screen. While the report did not specify the brand, the design and user interface closely resembled those of a Huawei or Honor device.

It's unclear whether these companies officially sell phones in North Korea, but if they do, the devices are likely customized with state-approved software designed to restrict functionality and facilitate government surveillance.

One of the more revealing – and darkly amusing – features was the phone's automatic censorship of words deemed problematic by the state. For instance, when users typed oppa, a South Korean term used to refer to an older brother or a boyfriend, the phone automatically replaced it with comrade. A warning would then appear, admonishing the user that oppa could only refer to an older sibling.

Typing "South Korea" would trigger another change. The phrase was automatically replaced with "puppet state," reflecting the language used in official North Korean rhetoric.

Then came the more unsettling features. The phone silently captured a screenshot every five minutes, storing the images in a hidden folder that users couldn't access. According to the BBC, authorities could later review these images to monitor the user's activity.

The device was smuggled out of North Korea by Daily NK, a Seoul-based media outlet specializing in North Korean affairs. After examining the phone, the BBC confirmed that the censorship mechanisms were deeply embedded in its software. Experts say this technology is designed not only to control information but also to reinforce state messaging at the most personal level.

Smartphone usage has grown in North Korea in recent years, but access remains tightly controlled. Devices cannot connect to the global internet and are subject to intense government surveillance.

The regime has reportedly intensified efforts to eliminate South Korean cultural influence, which it views as subversive. So-called "youth crackdown squads" have been deployed to enforce these rules, frequently stopping young people on the streets to inspect their phones and review text messages for banned language.

Some North Korean escapees have shared that exposure to South Korean dramas or foreign radio broadcasts played a key role in their decision to flee the country. Despite the risks, outside media continues to be smuggled in – often via USB sticks and memory cards hidden in food shipments. Much of this effort is supported by foreign organizations.

iTs tHe SaMe pRiNcIpLe!1!!

Yeah try to wiggle yourself out if that one.

That's the difference between North Korea and the western world:

In North Korea the government forces spyware onto your device.

In the western world, people share their data voluntarily and publicly.

Instagram, Facebook, Dropbox and Co. made it possible.

Where can I disable this within my Google account I use on Android?

After examining the phone, the BBC confirmed that the censorship mechanisms were deeply embedded in its software.

Remember, this could happen in your country.

Its always "It Can't Happen Here" until it does.

Oh yes the main reason people are in western prisons is because ... They do not want to starve to death.

Are you an AI bot just reversing comments?

BBC is a pretty reputable source.