Apple Inc has never worked with the US National Security Agency and is unaware of efforts to target its smartphones, the company said in response to reports that the spy agency had developed a system to hack into and monitor iPhones.
Germany’s Der Spiegel reported that a secretive unit of the NSA, which is under fire for the extent and depth of its spying programs around the world, makes specialised gear and software to infiltrate and monitor a plethora of computing devices, including mobile phones.
“Apple has never worked with the NSA to create a backdoor in any of our products, including iPhone. Additionally, we have been unaware of this alleged NSA program targeting our products,” the company said in a statement.
“We will continue to use our resources to stay ahead of malicious hackers and defend our customers from security attacks, regardless of who’s behind them.”
In a statement, the NSA did not comment on any specific allegations but said that its interest “in any given technology is driven by the use of that technology by foreign intelligence targets.”
“The United States pursues its intelligence mission with care to ensure that innocent users of those same technologies are not affected,” the agency added.
The iPhone was a relatively innovative gadget in 2008. It hit the market in 2007 and proceeded to help revolutionise the mobile phone industry. Reuters
