The New York Times and the Telegraph report that Apple's 3G iPhones used in Egypt will disable the functionality of the GPS chip, because of the Egyptian government's belief that the GPS features could be a military security risk, and, as such, should be limited only to the military in that country.

However, a significant aspect of the exclusion involves the effect on pro-democracy movements. Nonetheless, according to the Guardian reports, thousands of rich Egyptians sport handsets like the Nokia N95.

The reports about understanding GPS functionality in Egypt states, say that an iPhone in Egypt "does not have GPS enabled" in all of the following cases:
- If it is purchased in Egypt
- If it is purchased in Egypt and used outside of Egypt
- Any iPhone used while roaming in Egypt
- An unlocked iPhone used with a SIM of an Egyptian carrier.

This is not the first time, and probably not the last too, that the Egyptian government has clashed with technology - the Times article cited another example, giving the details regarding Facebook.

Commenting on the GPS functionality exclusion in Egypt, Stefan Geens, a Swedish blogger who lives in Cairo, noted: "It's a direct link to the satellite, so there's no way they can stop you. These days mobile phones are ubiquitous and there's no way of telling what you're doing with one." 

Reports assume that the Chinese government may also ask Apple to remove a number of features such as GPS, Wi-Fi or 3G, and, additionally, extend the limitations to Mobile Safari as well.