alt Hacker NewsiPhone and iPad approved to handle classified NATO information
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The interesting point here is that an off the shelf consumer product has been approved by NATO for any level of classification for the first time, not which level of classification.
> The devices are now officially approved to handle classified NATO information up to the "restricted" level. This is not about specialized, rugged phones built for the military or locked-down, government-only hardware. It applies to regular iPhones and iPads running standard iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. According to Apple, no other consumer devices have this distinction.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-iphone-ipad-nato-classif...
NATO RESTRICTED is not a particularly high classification. Its handling requirements are a very, very small step above unclassified.
What holds Apple back in the classified space is not security shortcomings in the platform per se, but the fact that there’s no way to initialise and manage a fresh iPad without public internet connectivity. That’s an absolute dealbreaker.
Restricted?
Even the monthly consumption of toilet paper on a base has this classification.
What actually is military-grade technology:
Both Ukraine and Russia use Discord to stream live drone footage.
Ukraine uses various Android tablets to run it's super-classified Delta battlefield management system.
"NATO Restricted" is the lowest-tier of NATO classification. It does not require security clearance to access, and mostly exists to prevent the leaking of information.
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Big change from when Steve Jobs killed the Newton and one unspoken reason was the USMC having just had a _very_ successful trial and being in the process of getting Apple approved as a DOD vendor.... (yes, I'm still salty that the only Apple products I've bought since my MessagePad were OpenStep 4.2, and two iPods for my daughter --- the MacBook I use doesn't count since work bought that --- at least Samsung and Amazon use Wacom EMR in their products, though neither is fully a replacement for my Newton....)