Edward
Snowden was one of the designers of a mobile phone case that can show
when a device is transmitting data that could be spied on. Snowden and
his co-designer Andrew Huang appeared online at the MIT Media Lab in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, demonstrating how the device connects to the
phone’s radio transmitters and shows its owner when any type of
connection is being used to share or receive information.
The
prototype of the case shows a small, monochromatic display built into
the casing, which shows whether the phone is “idle” or transmitting
information. Besides, the case is also able to supply a device with
extra battery power and cover the rear-facing camera. Snowden also
explained that the item could be developed to act as a kind of “kill
switch” that would disconnect a phone’s power supply once detecting that
a radio is transmitting information after its owner turned it off.
Although this phone case is just an academic project and is not ready
for the mass market, it could still influence how consumers view the
“tracking devices” or regular smartphones. The former NSA contractor
explained that if you have a phone in your pocket, a long-lived record
of your movements is being created, as the smartphone is constantly
shouting into the air by means of radio signals. This communication is
not only saved by that phone company, but can also be observed by
independent third parties.
Even when you turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular transmission in
airplane mode, it can’t be trusted, because some malware can activate
radios without any indication from the user interface.
The project is part of Snowden’s work to inform the public about the
surveillance capabilities of the governments. Three years ago, he
revealed the truth about mass surveillance programs from the NSA and has
since become a recognizable name that can explain these issues in a
comprehensible way.
The phone case developers admit the device is likely to remain a mockup,
because the project is run largely through volunteer efforts.
Apparently, if the proper funding is raised, they could release the
device in partnership with the media advocacy group and use it to help
protect journalists. So far, the designers are concentrating on working
with iPhone, but the device could be modified to work on other models.
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