At a time when confrontation over cyber security and US snooping is escalating in China, the state-run media is slamming the Apple iPhone as a threat to the national security.

In a Friday report, Chinese government-controlled CCTV network drew the public's attention to the iPhone's ability to track the locations of the users. The network reported that all the moves and messages of the users can be recorded by the iPhone.

In its warning about the iPhone's ability to track the users via its positioning technology, the CCTV network report asserted that the Apple handset can "view the user's home address, unit information and whereabouts."

Highlighting the fact that the iPhone's location-tracking capability can pose a potential risk to China's state secrets, the CCTV network report said that there is no clarity on Apple's motive behind collecting the location information of the users.

Interestingly, while the report brands the iPhone as a threat to national security due to its location-tracking functionality, it does not make any mention of the fact that all smartphones - including those manufactured by Chinese device makers Huawei, Xiaomi and ZTE -have apps which can track users.