V-DIG Audit: Samsung

Enterprise Technology Stack & Vendor Relationships

Samsung maintains multiple vendor relationships with Israeli-origin technology companies across enterprise security, endpoint protection, and IT services.

Check Point Software Integration: Samsung Knox Manage integrates with Check Point Harmony Mobile (formerly SandBlast Mobile) for mobile threat defense within Samsung’s enterprise mobility management platform. The partnership enables network threat protection, malicious URL and application blocking, and enterprise security policy enforcement through the Knox management console. The integration remains documented as ongoing through 2025-2026, with no identified documentation of termination following the ICJ Advisory Opinion in July 2024 or the ICC arrest warrants in November 2024 ¹².

Karamba Security Investment: Samsung Ventures invested in Karamba Security, an Israeli IoT endpoint security company, in June 2021. The investment was accompanied by a Samsung SDS distribution agreement for Karamba’s products. The investment and distribution relationship was confirmed as of 2021, but current active status following the Samsung Next Tel Aviv office closure in April 2024 is unconfirmed from public sources ³.

Iguazio Investment: Samsung SDS invested in the Israeli serverless computing company Iguazio in 2020. Iguazio was subsequently acquired by McAfee in 2022. Samsung SDS’s post-acquisition stake or licensing status is not confirmed in public sources ⁴.

Credorax Partnership: Samsung SDS partnered with Israeli fintech company Credorax in 2020 for blockchain and robotic process automation solutions targeting European markets ⁵.

Matrix IT Relationship: Matrix IT is documented as an Israeli IT services company with defense and settlement-related contracts, including the Rolling Stone permit system and Meitar biometric checkpoint system. No confirmed evidence was identified of Matrix IT serving as a direct Samsung distributor or of Samsung products flowing through Matrix IT to Israeli government or defense clients ⁶.

Check Point Integration Scope: The Check Point integration operates at the MDM/UEM layer governing device configuration, application policy, and network security for Samsung Knox-managed enterprise deployments. This represents a core security infrastructure dependency, not a peripheral function ¹².

Surveillance, Biometrics & Retail Technology

AppCloud Pre-installation: Samsung pre-installed the AppCloud application on budget Galaxy A and M series devices sold in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) markets. AppCloud is powered by ironSource’s Aura SDK and runs with elevated system privileges. The application has no user-visible UI and cannot be uninstalled by end users without technical measures such as ADB commands. AppCloud facilitates silent application installation and was documented by SMEX to collect biometric data, IP addresses, location data, and device fingerprints without clear user consent. The ironSource-Samsung partnership originated pre-2022; ironSource was acquired by Unity in November 2022. AppCloud remains active on Samsung devices in the WANA region as of 2025, requiring technical measures to remove. The Forbes publication characterized AppCloud as a “marketing app” ⁷⁸⁹¹⁰.

Third-Party Deployment: The AppCloud pre-installation represents a confirmed instance of Israeli-origin software reaching Samsung devices via a bundled enterprise SDK rather than direct procurement. This constitutes the only identified instance of Israeli-origin software deployment on Samsung consumer devices within this audit’s scope ⁷⁸.

Facial Recognition and Biometrics: No direct Samsung-Trigo, Samsung-AnyVision/Oosto, or Samsung-BriefCam investment, licensing, or integration relationship is confirmed from primary sources. No public evidence identified of Samsung verified use of Israeli-origin predictive policing, sentiment analysis, social media monitoring, or workforce surveillance tools.

Cloud Infrastructure, Data Residency & Sovereign Cloud Participation

Data Centre Operations: No public evidence identified of Samsung Electronics or Samsung SDS operating, leasing, or co-locating data centre infrastructure within Israel.

Project Nimbus: Project Nimbus is the Israeli government cloud infrastructure program awarded exclusively to Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services in 2021. Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDS, and Samsung Next are not parties to Project Nimbus ¹¹.

Government Cloud Contracts: Samsung SDS provides AI and cloud services to Korean government agencies but no evidence of Israeli government cloud contracts was identified. No public evidence identified of Samsung providing services explicitly marketed or contracted to ensure digital sovereignty, data residency, or infrastructure resilience for Israeli state institutions or military bodies ¹².

Defence, Intelligence & Security Sector Technology Relationships

Military and Intelligence Contracts: No verified direct contracts between Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDS, or any Samsung group entity and the Israeli Ministry of Defence, IDF, Shin Bet, or Mossad are identified from available sources.

Galaxy Tactical Edition: Samsung produces Galaxy Tactical Edition devices marketed to US DoD and government users. The device supports stealth RF mode, tactical radio systems, ATAK integration, and night-vision-compatible display modes. No evidence was found confirming procurement by Israeli defense forces. No evidence was found that Samsung developed, sold, licensed, or maintained offensive cyber capabilities, zero-day exploit tools, or digital weapons systems.

Matrix IT and Dual-Use Technology: Matrix IT has documented involvement in Israeli occupation infrastructure, including the Stone of Steel permit management system and Meitar biometric checkpoint system. No confirmed Samsung direct involvement in these systems was identified ⁶.

AI, Algorithmic & Autonomous Systems

AI Provision to State Bodies: No verified provision of AI, machine learning, computer vision, or autonomous decision-support systems by Samsung directly to Israeli state, military, or security entities is identified from available sources.

Samsung-OpenAI Partnership: The Samsung-OpenAI strategic partnership announced in approximately October 2025 covers on-device AI integration and semiconductor cooperation. No evidence was identified that this partnership encompasses AI capability provision to Israeli government or military clients.

Training Data and Model Development: No publicly reported instances of Samsung AI models being trained on or granted access to civilian population data, intercepted communications, or surveillance-derived datasets originating from Israel or occupied territories.

Autonomous Systems: No verified provision of autonomous target generation, automated threat detection, or autonomous tracking systems by Samsung to Israeli military or security forces. No public evidence identified of Samsung’s verified use of AI systems for population surveillance, biometric identification infrastructure, or algorithmic targeting in Israeli contexts.

Technology Ecosystem & R&D Footprint

Israeli R&D Centres: Samsung R&D Institute Israel operates in Herzliya with focus areas including AI, health tech, display, and optics. The Samsung Semiconductor Israel R&D Center operates in Ramat Gan ¹³¹⁴.

Samsung Next Tel Aviv: Samsung Next maintained an office in Tel Aviv that invested in approximately 70 Israeli startups prior to closure in April 2024 ¹⁵.

Classiq Investment: Classiq Technologies, an Israeli quantum computing software company, confirmed Samsung Next as an investor in its May 2025 Series C funding round of $110 million. This indicates portfolio equity was retained following the office closure ¹⁶.

Boost Up Program: Samsung operates the “Boost Up 2026” grant program open to Israeli academic researchers and startups. This program does not involve equity involvement ¹⁷.

Technion Relationships: Individual Samsung employees with Technion backgrounds are documented, including Amit Berman, Vice President at Samsung Electronics and a Technion graduate from 2009-2013. No formal Samsung-Technion patent co-filing agreements, licensing arrangements, or institutional research collaboration contracts were identified from public sources.

Avnet ASIC Israel: Samsung Electronics partnered with Avnet ASIC Israel to strengthen customer support at the forefront of ASIC design services ¹⁸.

Civil Society Scrutiny & Regulatory History

SMEX Documentation: SMEX documented Samsung’s pre-installation of ironSource AppCloud on Galaxy devices sold in WANA markets, including data collection characteristics and the absence of meaningful user consent. SMEX issued an open letter to Samsung demanding an end to forced Israeli app installations in the WANA region ⁷⁸.

UN OHCHR Settlement Database: The September 2025 update of the UN Database of Business Enterprises Engaged in Settlement Activities lists 158 business enterprises involved in settlement activities. Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDS, Samsung Next, and Samsung C&T are not named in the database ¹⁹²⁰.

Who Profits Database: The database of companies involved in Israeli occupation does not list Samsung as a named profile ²¹.

AFSC Investigate: The AFSC Investigate project documents Matrix IT’s involvement in Israeli defense and settlement infrastructure. Samsung is not a primary named profile in this database ⁶.

Boycott and Divestment Campaigns: Samsung Electronics is not prominently featured as a primary BDS campaign target in the same tier as HP, Motorola Solutions, or Elbit Systems. The SMEX campaign constitutes an organized civil society pressure campaign with documented demands addressed directly to Samsung regarding AppCloud and ironSource ⁷⁸.

Regulatory and Legal Actions: No regulatory inquiries, export control actions involving US BIS or OFAC, EU export licensing challenges, sanctions-related investigations, or legal proceedings involving Samsung’s technology sales or services to Israeli state entities were identified from available sources.

Post-ICJ/ICC Activity: The following activities were confirmed as ongoing at or after the ICJ Advisory Opinion in July 2024 and ICC arrest warrants in November 2024: the Check Point-Samsung Knox partnership remains confirmed as ongoing through 2025; AppCloud pre-installation remains confirmed as active on devices in the WANA region through 2025; and Samsung Next portfolio equity retention in Classiq was confirmed as still in portfolio as of May 2025 ^1216910.

End Notes