BlackPhone 2 (Review): Can I have a Red one?
BlackPhone 2 was Released at 28/9/2015, for $799.
BlackPhone 2 is Silent-Circle's super-secured new smartphone version. If you are privacy-obsessed, or having super-secret supermarket lists, and 'Do not track me' is the first thing you think of, on your morning coffee, then this phone is just for you! ;-)
Silent-Circle Ltd. has released a second version of its smartphone, which is designed to protect your data from either hackers, advertisers, or even government spies like NSA (and related New U.S. Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act). Blackphone-2 is a special Android based device, with built-in Privacy Platform & Features made to guard & prevent stealing your confidential business info. It runs on Silent-OS with Silent-Phone, the firm's private communication platform/app that is pre-loaded onto devices.
Externally the BP-2 seems like any other smartphone, with common attributes: - Screen: 5.5-inch, 1080p - Internal memory: 3 GigaBytes RAM - External Data Storage: 32 GigaBytes + MicroSD card slot - Processor: Snapdragon 615 Qualcomm processor - Cameras: 13 MP(MegaPixels) rear/back camera, 5 MP front-facing/selfie
So, what are the phone's Major Advantages & Abilities?
Blackphone’s Silent OS lets users create multiple "Spaces", separate virtual machines/phones on the same device. Since there is no data exhange between them, the user can keep personal & work information separate and independent and even install different applications per each environment. This way, an application downloaded for personal use, will not danger any company's data by gaining access to work contacts & files and then spamming them with ads or malicious code. In addition, the OS's Security Center lets users edit each application permissions individually.
The phone is "cleaned" (i.e. without carriers' hooks, bloatware & data leaks), to address mobile privacy concerns. For example, other cellphones conduct regular phone calls along the cellular network. Carriers or network operators like AT&T, Verizon or Sprint can see who's calling who, and the government, using federal agencies, can tap into those networks to listen in.
The combination of Silent-Circle's propriety OS and Network, enables users to make encrypted Voice/Video calls and conferencing and send texts and files in a secured manner without the carrier's eyes. Video & Audio streams use ZRTP protocol (RFC 6189), and Text messages are encrypted using Text-Secure, the new axolotl protocol variation, named after the amphibian mexican salamander (which can regenerate its limbs, spine & brain!), See its picture below:
Axolotl Ratchet is an enhanced version of OTR with Forward Secrecy, adapted to be suitable for mobile applications, where messages encryption might be needed asynchronously, without both parties are online at the same time.
A Built-in “Burn” functionality lets users set an auto-destruct time/r for Text messages (from one minute and up to three months).
Untrusted/Public Wi-Fi networks Vulnerability-fix: BP-2 lets users set the phone to turn off Wi-Fi connectivity when going out, in order to prevent accidental connections to random/unknown Wi-Fi networks.
Unlike the original Blackphone (V1), Google Play Store support was added, and users can now download apps like SilentPhone directly from Google. The new version actually lets users to download any application they want from store and tweak/manage its access permissions (iPhone alike).
Blackphone is encrypted end-to-end. If a certain call is detected as tapped or middle manned, both sides will get notified and the call will drop. The special service that encrypts phone-calls and text-messages is 1-year free, and then it increases to $25 a year.
Open Issues:
Blackphone can be used ONLY with a GSM Carrier, CDMA networks are not compatible and are not supported. In US, that effect Verizon and Sprint clients which are fundamentally still CDMA carriers, although they have started deploying LTE/4G technology networks.
Happy Privacy Day, Hagay Onn
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Hagay Onn is using a Black (Nokia) phone which "encrypts" calls to a threshold in which both sides cannot understand a word. My NSA fellows, i challenge you to try Noise-Removing that...
