Blackphone Updates – Privacy Based SmartPhone
Blackphone Updates – Privacy Based SmartPhone
Near the beginning on the new year, SilentCircle, and Geeksphone released news on the Blackphone. The Blackphone will be the first and only smartphone based on privacy and users anonymity. The Blackphone introduction was brief and didn’t mention most of the features it would contain. February 3, 2014 Blackphone has released more data on what the phone will contain.
Blackphone Features: The Blackphone will be run on PrivatOS, and open source android operating system. The PrivatOS firmware is fully built from the ground up, using the original android source code found in every android smartphone. While Google owns the android OS, the OS is still open source for anyone to see, edit, and check for free. PrivatOS has taken that firmware, deleted the bloatware, patched backdoors, and made the phone fully privacy based. The phone will not even have to use Google services. When booting up most android ROMS, Google requires users sign in to a gmail, and enter personal details into the Google play store. This allows for the phone to be able to update, apps to be installed, along with other features enabled. While Google requires this, the Blackphone will not require any form of Google verification. The phone can still go through Google to perform updates, but for non-Google based updates, Blackphone stated “Secure Over-The-Air (SOTA) updates directly from our own distribution points” will be available. While Blackphone will be fully open source, the company will not release a ROM for PrivatOS. The company has stated “we cannot support all the different hardware platforms on which it might subsequently be installed”. They say they are talking to ROM enthusiasts for this to be a possibility in the future. Continuing, everything on the Blackphone can be routed through Silent Circle, and a VPN. The phone will contain a lot more since the PrivatOS will be its own operating system. Neither companies have released any confirmed details on what the OS will contain.
Just to Note: Blackphone has never stated this phone will be N.S.A. proof, or invincible to backdoors. This does not mean Blackphone will be purposefully leaving backdoors open, this is just stating that third parties, governments, or hackers could find ways to possibly infiltrate to firmware. Silent Circle is begin honest when stating this. No company at all can guarantee this.
The downfall: The only feature about the phone that will be the downfall at the moment is that private communications will only work Blackphone to Blackphone. The Blackphone can only communicate securely to other Blackphones, based on its proprietary software. Now this could be a great feature for businesses, hackers, lawyers, and other high profile users. But for a home user, this will be the only restriction to the phone. While most smartphone tasks are not strictly calls this could be the only main stepback. The Blackphone could be used for media management, music players, games, enterprise management, hackers, along with many other genres of usage. The Blackphone will be debuting in Barcelona on February 24, 2014. Late February the phone will be available to purchase worldwide. The phone in unlocked, so this will truly be a worldwide phone. The Blackphone release will truly be a one of a kind.
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