If they want to take surveillance to the next level, leapfrogging the other surveillance states, they could go with a text-based UI that leans heavily on AI - like Wolfram Alpha as an OS. Would save on having to keep up with UI trends and still be bleeding edge.

  User: "Open interwebs"
  Machine: "What internet site would you like to go to?"
  User: "One with email"
  Machine: "Opening email application...you have a message from Mary."
  User: "Say hello to Mary for me."
  Machine: "Reply sent."
  User: "What's on at the movies?"
  Machine: "Based on your location and love of Dear Leader, I recommend X."
  User: "Sounds expensive, how much money do I have?"
  Machine: "You have X in your account, however a Gazprom bill for X will be arriving soon."
  User: "What is the average velocity of an unladen swallow?"

That way your system is always acting as a layer between the user and the content, ensuring you not only know what they're doing, but influence it as well. It would also work on cheaper handsets.