Blackphone Promises NSA-Proof Smartphone

Blackphone—a joint venture between Silent Circle and Geeksphone—may be the answer.

The first device to place privacy and control directly in the consumer's hands, Blackphone runs free of carriers and vendors. The vendors say the Android-based PrivatOS provides users a safe place to make and receive phone calls, exchange texts, transfer and store files, and video chat, without fear of the government eavesdropping.

According to Geeksphone CEO Javier Agüera, the PrivatOS system comes with access to the same familiar Android applications, but with an added level of privacy.

"Blackphone is a journey built upon privacy, control, and security, wrapped in a high-end smartphone built by a very innovative all-star team of cryptographers, security, and mobile innovators," Silent Circle CEO Mike Janke said in the Blackphone video (below).

From the minds behind data encryption program PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), Spanish smartphone maker Geeksphone, and global encrypted communications service Silent Circle, Blackphone is the culmination of years' worth of ideas, prototypes, and updated technology.

"I have spent my whole career working towards the launch of secure telephony products," data encryption program PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) creator Phil Zimmermann said in a statement. "Blackphone provides users with everything they need to ensure privacy and control of their communications, along with all the other high-end smartphone features they have come to expect."

Blackphone is expected to make its debut next month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona; it will be available for pre-order beginning Feb. 24.

For more, see The NSA and the End of Privacy, as well as 7 Chilling Ways the NSA Can Spy On You.

Source:https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2429560,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05079TX1K0000992