In the tech world, something big happened in Barcelona, Spain this week. Makers of the Blackphone unveiled what some are calling “The First NSA-Proof Smartphone.”
It works like an Android but operates on entirely with encrypted information. And with a recent survey showing 85% of cell phone users listing security as their number one concern, the Blackphone couldn’t come at a better time.
The state of the art phone is the collaboration of Spanish hardware manufacturer Geeksphone and Silent Circle, a provider of various software solutions meant to protect users’ privacy. And before you start saying the $629 price tag is a bit too much to pay to stop company’s from spying on you, consider all the Apps you download. Even the free ones glean all sorts of information. Like the Brightest Flashlight App. Just last year the Federal Trade Commission issued a complaint against it’s maker GoldenShores Technologies, LLC for using the onboard GPS to make money on the free app by selling the anonymized user data it collects. And, the amount is not trivial; over one million people have downloaded the flashlight app.
Silent Circle’s Mike Janke is quick to point out that nothing is “NSA proof” but if you want to “Go to Google and browse the web, Google doesn’t know who you are. It’s a high-end smartphone. The user doesn’t have to know how to use or how to spell encryption.”
And there’s no waiting in line at midnight for the Blackphone. The company is taking pre-orders now with delivery set for June.
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Thanks Valerie for this tidbit…
I do not use my cell phone much, nor my regular phone… Not that what I convey on those devices is all that interesting, but I recoil at what this country is coming to when it comes to our basic privacy… If this “Blackphone” operates as advertised, I can see it dominating a significant portion of the market. Although, sadly, I think too many people do not care that much about their privacy. If they did, there would not so many people blindly posting every event and so much private information on their Facebook pages (something I do not have, and have no intention of establishing). Again, I have learned something from PRP that I have not yet seen in other media… Thanks PRP and Valerie!
Gary Jarvis,
Sweet Home