It's Independence Day! In America, anyway. So what better day to take a look at the freedom and liberty afforded to us on the internet and on all manner of digital devices?
The launch is imminent for the world's most privacy-centered phone ever, the Blackphone, and it's already sold out. A collaboration of two suitably named companies, privacy-centric Silent Circle and geeky phone makers - Geeksphone, the Blackphone opens up all new discussions about the level of privacy and control a user should be able to enjoy on their phone. Tested extensively by Ars Technica, the Blackphone isn't doing all the data-skimming, data-spewing of your average phone. Predictably it doesn't come with the same ecosystem as your average phone either and if you're fond of Apple Store or Google Play Store then you're unlikely to be under your own security lockdown any time soon. It seems to reinforce the point that privacy and personalisation of data and experience are increasingly a trade-off. It's probably a bit OTT for consumer consumption but for anyone with sensitive information the Blackphone could be a tremendously important development.
Meanwhile on the 'free' internet - you may have read about Facebook conducting emotion-altering experiments on over 600,000 of their users. Well that's not the only one, with the WSJ suggesting there's actually been hundreds of experiments. Anyone seeking anonymity could previously turn to Tor, the software to anonymize your journey on the internet, but that's now a target for the NSA to monitor, in the ultimate case of being guilty by association. It's no surprise that privacy is becoming a pricey commodity with the internet-monitoring authorities increasingly seeing seeking anonymity as the same thing as having something to hide (not that those two things never cross over).
The NSA suffered a privacy problem of their own when activists flew a massive balloon over their now less-than-secret data centre. But they did score a pretty major victory when a panel ruled that their social network surveillance programme, PRISM, is alright really and definitely not illegal. There's hope though, as the majority of respondents in the latest Pew survey believe the internet will largely be free (and relatively similar to today's) come 2025.
The phone that wants to keep all your secrets for you.
The launch is imminent for the world's most privacy-centered phone ever, the Blackphone, and it's already sold out. A collaboration of two suitably named companies, privacy-centric Silent Circle and geeky phone makers - Geeksphone, the Blackphone opens up all new discussions about the level of privacy and control a user should be able to enjoy on their phone. Tested extensively by Ars Technica, the Blackphone isn't doing all the data-skimming, data-spewing of your average phone. Predictably it doesn't come with the same ecosystem as your average phone either and if you're fond of Apple Store or Google Play Store then you're unlikely to be under your own security lockdown any time soon. It seems to reinforce the point that privacy and personalisation of data and experience are increasingly a trade-off. It's probably a bit OTT for consumer consumption but for anyone with sensitive information the Blackphone could be a tremendously important development.
Meanwhile on the 'free' internet - you may have read about Facebook conducting emotion-altering experiments on over 600,000 of their users. Well that's not the only one, with the WSJ suggesting there's actually been hundreds of experiments. Anyone seeking anonymity could previously turn to Tor, the software to anonymize your journey on the internet, but that's now a target for the NSA to monitor, in the ultimate case of being guilty by association. It's no surprise that privacy is becoming a pricey commodity with the internet-monitoring authorities increasingly seeing seeking anonymity as the same thing as having something to hide (not that those two things never cross over).
Greenpeace are actually quite angry about the amount of coal power the NSA is using too
The NSA suffered a privacy problem of their own when activists flew a massive balloon over their now less-than-secret data centre. But they did score a pretty major victory when a panel ruled that their social network surveillance programme, PRISM, is alright really and definitely not illegal. There's hope though, as the majority of respondents in the latest Pew survey believe the internet will largely be free (and relatively similar to today's) come 2025.
