Your comment is not considering that these governments are more likely to target politicians and journalists which are more likely to use iPhone regardless of where they are located. I don’t know if the implication that iPhone is less secure holds but it’s likely.
> Your comment is not considering that these governments are more likely to target politicians and journalists which are more likely to use iPhone regardless of where they are located.
Are you sure that's true? In my experience governments often choose Android because they prefer the platform's organization-wide device management options over iOS. Many dissidents/journalists choose Android because it's easily rootable, giving them more privacy and control (I have a very small sample of the latter, however)
You could use Apple’s lockdown mode. It’s unmatched on Android.
Google and Samsung warn you about enabling root.
Samsung:
Is rooting your smartphone a security risk?
Rooting disables some of the built-in security features of the operating system, and those security features are part of what keeps the operating system safe and your data secure from exposure or corruption. Since today’s smartphones operate in an environment filled with threats from attackers, buggy or malicious applications, as well as occasional accidental missteps by trusted users, anything that reduces the internal controls in the Android operating system represents a higher risk.
Security risks with modified (rooted) Android versions
Google provides device security protections to people around the world using the Android operating system. If you installed a modified (rooted) version of Android on your device, you lose some of the security protection provided by Google.
Important: If your account is enrolled in the Advanced Protection Program, don’t use that account on a device with a modified version of Android. Modified versions of Android can undermine Advanced Protection’s increased security features.
I have great respect for the iOS security model. Seriously a marvel and best-in-class accomplishment.
But this is flatly not true. If you really care, you have Graphene et al, and even without that stock Android has plenty of well-tested features that enable you to lock down the device further than at stock. And rooting as a pathway to undermine security is a well understood aspect of the threat model
