In June of 2013, Edward Snowden released information showing that the National Security Agency was collecting data from phone calls, texts, and emails of people all over the world. The resulting revelations sparked mass outrage at the invasion of privacy and a nationwide debate over the amount of access the government should have in our lives. These realizations led many to try and find ways to protect themselves.<\/p>\n
Blackphone, revealed Monday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, promises to be the most secure smartphone<\/a> on the market.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Enter Blackphone, a new privacy-focused smartphone<\/a> created by Silent Circle and Geeksphone. As Toby Weir-Jones, the general manager of Blackphone, explains, Edward Snowden\u2019s leak of NSA documents has created a demand for privacy.<\/a> Weir-Jones further explains<\/a> that this demand was one that \u201cthe wider market was not equipped to look for a solution [to].\u201d Blackphone, revealed Monday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, promises to be the most secure smartphone<\/a> on the market.
\nWhile the phone doesn\u2019t claim to be unbreakable, it does host a dizzying array of secure technology. The main privacy feature<\/a> will be a custom version of Android, Privat0S, which allows users to \u201ccontrol every part of what data their phone is leaking, their calls, their contacts, their web browsing and what any app put on their phone can do.\u201d The phone will also include<\/a> encrypted communications apps, 5GB of encrypted cloud storage, and anonymous browsing and Virtual Private Network.
\nThe average consumer, however, may be less interested in what the phone offers and more interested in what it doesn\u2019t. At least at first, the phone will not include an email application.<\/a> Silent Circle, the phone\u2019s creator, chose to discontinue<\/a> their \u201cSilent Mail\u201d service when another encrypted email provider was served with a government subpoena. While the company fully intends to eventually provide this service, it remains to be seen whether consumers will respond to the phone in its absence. According to a 2011 Google survey of more than 5,000 customers, 82 percent of smartphone owners check and send email<\/a> on their phone.
\nFeatures aside, there also remains questions as to whether the desire for privacy will overcome the desire to not pay $629 for a cellphone<\/a>, which is the current, pre-order price of the phone. Also on the price front, is whether Blackphone can prove as profitable as other technology coming out of Silicon Valley. One reason why the technology industry has been able to be so profitable<\/a> is that it allows companies to thrive by \u201ccollecting and analyzing user data, marketing it to advertisers through services like Google and Facebook ads.\u201d
\nUltimately though, the question is just how safe is the world\u2019s safest phone. The company\u2019s website offers the disclaimer<\/a> that \u201cas with most things in life, there is no absolute guarantee,\u201d therefore \u201cwe do not claim Blackphone is \u2018NSA-proof[.]\u2019\u201d Bruce Schneier, a security expert, notes the nuanced difference between levels of privacy. He believes that against bulk surveillance, Blackphone could offer considerable protection. As he puts it, \u201cthe NSA is not made of magic.\u201d<\/a> This being said, the aspiring terrorist or criminal may not want to run to pre-order the device quite yet. According to Mike Janke,<\/a> co-founder and CEO of Silent Circle, \u201c[i]f you are on the terrorist wanted list or a criminal, intelligence services will get into your device. . . there\u2019s no such thing as 100% secure phone.\u201d
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