NSA proof mobile device/ The Blackphone/

Blackphone is the world's first smartphone to put privacy and control ahead of everything else. Ahead of carriers. Ahead of advertising. Blackphone is re-shaping the landscape of personal communications

At least that's what they say....

They say this new phone is unlocked and works with any GSM carrier and claim it keeps your personal data from text messages to phone calls private.

Blackphone is the world's first smartphone which prioritizes the user's privacy and control, without any hooks to carriers or vendors. It comes preinstalled with all the tools you need to move throughout the world, conduct business, and stay in touch, while shielding you from prying eyes.

www.blackphone.ch...

If I was the NSA I would invent this company and this "nsa proof" phone, with a little backdoor....
So awesome new tech to help or harm?

Silent Circle was formed in 2011 and in 2013 launched apps and other services which allow smartphone and PC users to send encrypted messages and videos. The Blackphone is an extension of that effort, says Janke, a former Navy SEAL who co-founded the firm with other ex-SEALs and Silicon Valley cryptographic experts. "We offer completely encrypted, peer-to-peer communications. We have encrypted video, encrypted text and secure VoIP (Voice-over-Internet-Protocol) calls," Janke said. The founders include Phil Zimmermann, who created the widely used PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) standard, and former Apple cryptographic expert Jon Callas. Read more: www.businessinsider.com...

www.businessinsider.com...

About time this happened. And I'm glad to see the big names behind this project, really impressive stuff. I'll be getting one of these devices for sure. I bet many agencies wont like this very much though... they'll probably give it the nickname of "the terrorist cell".

3u40r15m
Prepaid phones work just fine, if you don't want to get caught up doing whatever you're doing.....

Prepaid phones don't encrypt your calls like the blackphone appears to do. I imagine you'd have to be calling another blackphone to get the full level of encryption though.

ChaoticOrder

3u40r15m
Prepaid phones work just fine, if you don't want to get caught up doing whatever you're doing.....

Prepaid phones don't encrypt your calls like the blackphone appears to do. I imagine you'd have to be calling another blackphone to get the full level of encryption though.

Yup, and I don't think its' gonna be too popular of a phone, so might as well just not worry about NSA they are no threat really....

reply to post by ChaoticOrder


Been doing the pre paid phone thing for about 2 years now, it's pretty good, my service provider has not my real name or address haha suckers! It's worked well but it's not super secure as the Black phone (might) be (but I hope it is!!)

reply to post by 3u40r15m

Yup, and I don't think its' gonna be too popular of a phone, so might as well just not worry about NSA they are no threat really....

I think it'll be highly popular due to the recent Snowden revelations and because of the big names behind this project... I'd rather the blackphone over an iPhone any day of the week. It's a simple matter of privacy and has nothing to do with the NSA. I just prefer my communications to be private and not wide open for interception. I'm sorry, apparently this isn't a conspiracy forum anymore...

3u40r15m
Prepaid phones work just fine, if you don't want to get caught up doing whatever you're doing.....

The meta data alone from prepaid phones can crush your privacy. The OS on prepaid phones does not prohibit remote control of audio and camera hardware or remote dumping of on board data. Prepaid phones do not prohibit unauthorized dumping of data through the USB port or uploading of malicious apps through the USB port. Prepaid phones do not encrypt on board data, leaving the phone vulnerable to memory chip removal and reading. Etc, etc, etc.

reply to post by Agent008


I'm not sold for many reasons...

1> You can only encrypt information from one device to another if the receiving device has the hardware/software equiped to decrypt it therefor if you want to send data from point A to point B both A and B must be equiped with proper software and hardware to handle the encrytion decryption. Which means communication from Blackphone to IPhone wouldn't be possible as example...

The only way around would be a "middle man node" that decryps the data like TOR exit nodes but the exit node becomes a security threat itself... so it would go like this

A==encrypted===B---plain text-----C

So everything between A and B is encrypted and NSA can't snoop on it but between B and C isn't not... Since every phone call has CID tag attached thats showing the incomming/destination and in order for you to call from A to C your going through possibly 20 different TELCO all they need is a compliant TELCO between B and C to get your call they don't need to decrypt anything...

2>Text messages, SMS are messages that are constantly relayed between the handset and the towers it relays information required to maintain a good connection and to ensure the device is legit on the network... Those are CONSTANTLY sent between the phone and the tower and they allow up to 255 characters if I recall properly but mostly only 20-25 are used by the handset and the tower... so the phone companies use the remaining 225 to allow you to pump in a "message" since there's free space anyways and charge it to you because hey... it cost NOTHING its essential for the phone to work properly... so yeah they technically steal you...

Nonetheless same principle as #1 apply you can't send a encrypted message to a phone straight through regular towers that is not equiped to decrypt it otherwise the message will be sent from phone to phone and if the receiving party is not equiped to decrypt the message its useless... so you need a "middle man" that will do that, the only way is to not send it through the reg towers and through Blackphone's servers so it would go

(A)Blackphone===encrypted====(B)BlackPhone Server---------decrypted-----------(C)Receiving party

All NSA has to do is get in bed with the ISP blackphone are using to host their servers or tap into their pipelines all the decrypted info contain the "source", "destination", "content" so your screwed...

The only scenario I can see this would be effective is from blackphone to blackphone directly so the only way a blackphone is useful is if used to communicate with other blackphones and thats it...

reply to post by Agent008


... and you trust these guys?

ex Navy SEALS?

from the US.

Sorry, but this sounds like the perfect 'secret tool' that everyone with something to hide would want.

It identifies, as targets, those it specifically, supposedly protects.

I'd much rather see open standards, with a focus on personal privacy, as sales features of ALL commercial 'phones.

_R4t_
reply to post by Agent008

 

Text messages, SMS are messages that are constantly relayed between the handset and the towers it relays information required to maintain a good connection and to ensure the device is legit on the network... Those are CONSTANTLY sent between the phone and the tower and they allow up to 255 characters if I recall properly but mostly only 20-25 are used by the handset and the tower... so the phone companies use the remaining 225 to allow you to pump in a "message" since there's free space anyways and charge it to you because hey... it cost NOTHING its essential for the phone to work properly... so yeah they technically steal you...

edit on 24-1-2014 by _R4t_ because: (no reason given)

That I didn't know! I'm amazed every time I learn how the "scam" works in plain simple English. So you are saying we could all be sending free texts messages all over the world but the providers charge us because they can? God-Damn!

chr0naut
reply to post by Agent008

 

... and you trust these guys?

ex Navy SEALS?

from the US.

Sorry, but this sounds like the perfect 'secret tool' that everyone with something to hide would want.

It identifies, as targets, those it specifically, supposedly protects.

I'd much rather see open standards, with a focus on personal privacy, as sales features of ALL commercial 'phones.

edit on 24/1/2014 by chr0naut because: (no reason given)

That worrying part is as I said above regardless the company issueing the devices are trustable or not they are only truly effective when you use them with other blackphones, now you will be paying an arm and possibly a leg those phones because they are "secure" and need to register them with regular telephone companies whom are already in bed with the NSA...

So your technically saying "Hey NSA I have some ->Important

Agent008

_R4t_
reply to post by Agent008

 

Text messages, SMS are messages that are constantly relayed between the handset and the towers it relays information required to maintain a good connection and to ensure the device is legit on the network... Those are CONSTANTLY sent between the phone and the tower and they allow up to 255 characters if I recall properly but mostly only 20-25 are used by the handset and the tower... so the phone companies use the remaining 225 to allow you to pump in a "message" since there's free space anyways and charge it to you because hey... it cost NOTHING its essential for the phone to work properly... so yeah they technically steal you...

edit on 24-1-2014 by _R4t_ because: (no reason given)

That I didn't know! I'm amazed every time I learn how the "scam" works in plain simple English. So you are saying we could all be sending free texts messages all over the world but the providers charge us because they can? God-Damn!

Yep... I'm a tech for a major TELCO in Canada I know damn too well how it works... technically yes they could let you send SMS totally free within their network at no cost at all and it wouldn't cost them a penny... here's a couple examples how people get ripped off...

1> SMS (protocol used by handset/tower) cost nothing to TELCO but charged stupidly high to customers...

2> Features like Call Display "comes build in the switches that handle calls when they buy them, but charge you 8$ for it, its the same as you would rent a car from a dealer but he would charge you extra everytime you use the wippers...

now my favorite one... network fees

3>Network fees so you buy a package that allows you to use 300 minutes with Rogers/Bell network... BUT you have to pay an xtra 5$ for network fees... aren't the "minutes on the network" paid for already? Think about it for a second... when you buy the minute they are for "minutes on the cellphone network?"

I asked my manager once how we got away with this an the answer was "because we can, its not regulated there's no law that says we CAN'T..."

All in all if we lived in a "not greedy" world you would have free SMS to anybody on the same provider as you are and in certain case other providers since their networks are merged. All features included (voicemail, Call waiting, Call display...) and no "shaddy fees" like network fee and all... AND they would still make money and wouldn't go under at all since they don't pay a penny for those its all built-in the switches and you need the switches they are the "brain" of the telephone network...

reply to post by chr0naut

... and you trust these guys?

ex Navy SEALS?

from the US.

The people behind this are the guys who created PGP encryption... so yes I trust them.

I'd much rather see open standards, with a focus on personal privacy, as sales features of ALL commercial 'phones.

Keep dreaming... I'm sure we'd all like to end the federal reserve and see an open standards currency, but we'd only be dreaming. The only way we get a transparent money system is by building it ourself; hence cryptocurrency. Instead of trying to change the system we must bypass the system and make our own rules.

reply to post by _R4t_


You just blew my mind dude.
So we could buy this new blackphone and its all safe and stuff but because we have to connect to a phone company it becomes not so privet and they could and would charge us the same crap fees and high cost we are already paying, hell add a Secure Privacy Fee of only $3.99 per month.
People would just be out $499.99 (my guess of the price of this phone.)

Agent008
reply to post by _R4t_

 

You just blew my mind dude.
So we could buy this new blackphone and its all safe and stuff but because we have to connect to a phone company it becomes not so privet and they could and would charge us the same crap fees and high cost we are already paying, hell add a Secure Privacy Fee of only $3.99 per month.
People would just be out $499.99 (my guess of the price of this phone.)

It would be secure but from one blackphone to another... Lets say I have a blackphone and I'm calling/sending sms to your IPhone even if you have a "special app" to decrypted the call/message its worthless they already have backdoor/root access to every devices issues by Apple...

youtube "To protect and Infect" a conference by Jacob Applebaum and you'll see in understandable details all that they can do... By the end of this video you'll be afraid to leave your house...

Agent008
reply to post by ChaoticOrder

 

Been doing the prepaid phone thing for about 2 years now, it's pretty good, my service provider has not my real name or address haha suckers!

If you take your prepaid phone home they know your name for sure. Every phone is tracked and they know the position in a range of 10-20 feets. So if your phone is at the same location every night it is not too hard to know your name. Ok, maybe if you live in a 20 story building with 1000 flats....

the obvious question :

how can this work - without an entire new cell mast network - or a reworking of every cell mast to support secure / encrypted comms ?

reply to post by Agent008


I know that Assange had sets of encrypted cell phones for his inner circle.

CIA still got a mole in on him though.

reply to post by Agent008


If you want to alert NSA and the other three-letter-agencies' attention around the globe, then start setting up tough privacy settings on your gadgets, like VPN tunneling, proxies and TOR routing-- and buy one of these Blackphones. Just a thought.