Russia's New Secure Android Tablet Keeps Data From Google

wiredmikey writes "It seems Russia's defense ministry doesn't trust Google's tablet computers: a new Android device presented to a top Russian government official boasts encryption and works with software and a global positioning system made in Russia, the AFP reports. The OS has all the functional capabilities of an Android operating system but none of its hidden features that send users' private data to Google, addressing concerns that data stored by Google could slip into the hands of the US government and expose some of their most secret and sensitive communications. Two versions of the tablet will supposedly be made — one for consumers and one for defense needs."

Re:What about FSB?

[Anonymous Coward]

GOST encryption standards, often required to supply equipment to certain markets inside Russia, are very favorable to FSB in their design. This isn't even particularly sneakily implemented; for anyone with slightest amount of understanding on cryptography it's obvious that this is the case. I am not entirely certain what has been more important to Russian officials setting up these requirements, though: ability to decrypt actions of officials and certain organizations of national interest, or protectionism of the market by demanding own set of standards which are not obviously superior from the end user perspective, but cause considerable amount of extra work for foreign suppliers to compete on this market.

Re:Can we get the same?

[TheRaven64]

How about a corporate version that only passes data to servers owned and controlled by your in-house IT staff? I'd have thought that there would be a market for this, but it's one that device makers, not Google, would have an incentive to fill.

New distro

[Clsid]

It would be nice to have a group create a version of Android that doesn't report back anywhere. To be honest, one of the reasons I don't like to use Google products is that you always have this feeling that you don't even know when you are being tracked, but if it has the Google logo somewhere they will try real hard to do it. I get it, they are for-profit corporation and that's the way to get their revenue but I rather pay or use open source software whenever I can. It isn't funny how many people are willing to let go of their privacy because of a free product/service (think rebates).