I have quite a few concerns over the phone. I like the size and dual SIM but dubious over the software. I think the phone is just an android phone with TOR embedded into the core. I dont think it can compete with the likes of the Blackphone, hanging to see whether they launch a new version at MWC. Of course if Guardian takes off I may reassess that.
NSA/CIA are dead in the water on cheap/easy intelligence within 2 years. With the plethora of privacy based gadgets/gear/services, everyday hundreds, even thousands of people 'go dark' to them.. Almost all of my friends are using encryption these days, and most are spending a little more time/effort to help secure privacy.. Prior to recent revelations, nobody cared much, now everyone wants privacy/security/encryption! Good news if you ask me.
I would disagree with that statement. Right now Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple are all working with the government to insert NSA backdoors. If the law changes and they are not compelled to put in backdoors they will use other means. I am sure the NSA has data on individual employees of these organization that they could blackmail to do their bidding; either that or they have agents embedded in the companies.
Possibly. But there is a corporate backlash going on right now. Allegedly the new iPhone+Android encryptions are a sort of punishment for the spooks forcing back-door access to customers, and placing gags over the corporations. It's cost them a tremendous amount of money. I work with a lot of firms, and I can tell you that I 'routinely' hear them asking not only to secure their networks and data from hackers, but also from the US Govt. I've seen full encryption deployments at fairly large companies recently, as people pull their privacy in closer and closer. If the NSA is costing corporations money (and they ARE), then you can expect corporations to find ways to push back. One of the ways the pushback takes place is 'no knowledge' data storage. That is, a company can't provide information that it has no ability to know what that information is. You can't serve a national security letter on a company that isn't technologically capable of providing the information you seek. I've seen many firms move to no-knowledge systems. Also people are wising up.. Let's say LastPass spills their databases to the NSA, well if you use my decoration method you've defeated this backdoor. http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/20...-up-to-180-billion-in-lost-overseas-business/
I agree there has been strong backlash and there is push from Google and others to stop it from happening. Trust no one encryption is good but if you have to create back doors it ceases being trust no one. I know these companies really are pushing back, but I dont want people to believe that if they just encrypt with Google and Apple everything will be private. There needs to be strong legislative changes within the US as well as Canada, Australia and the UK.
I use Viivo to encrypt all of my content stored on OneDrive. Even though OneDrive already has end to end encryption, and storage encryption I like to hold the keys to my stuff. I discovered the hard way Viivo has no backdoor. I reformatted, and forgot my master passkey. I tried to recover it with their engineers for 'weeks' and we finally gave up. Eventually I guessed my master passcode, and got the files back but it made me feel good to realize there was simply 'no way' for Viivo to ever break my stuff, or even accommodate any summons to do it from LEO. I agree - laws need to change. We're using laws based on quill pens and scrolls, not fit for modern technologies.. But with Congress staffed by 900 year old relics, I don't expect that to change...
