With all the talk of government spying here and government spying there, it seems ideal to just sell everything and live in a stone cave. Luckily, FreedomPop has our backs when it comes to privacy and calling friends and family, offering what the company calls the "Snowden Phone." The real name is the Privacy Phone, and that's what the company has set out to do; protect your privacy.
"In light of recent violations in consumer's privacy across social networks and mobile devices, privacy is becoming increasingly important to many Americans and we all have a right to communicate anonymously," said Steven Sesar, COO at FreedomPop.
FreedomPop claims that the Privacy Phone, which is a Samsung Galaxy S II, is the only smartphone and mobile service that enables encrypted communications. The device uses the company's VoIP network, which enables encrypted communication for voice calls and text messages. The phone also uses 128-bit encryption.
According to the company, the phone sends application and Internet data through a virtual private network, or VPN, meaning users will be completely anonymous online. Thanks to this feature, online marketers will be unable to track the user's web activity. There will also be no data monitoring or eavesdropping by third parties. Take that, snoops.
The phone's security features include blocking unsolicited incoming calls and text messages. The device will also block malicious websites, and will temporarily make contacts and all related call history and SMS correspondence confidential when needed.
"Large carriers don't have the flexibility, desire or creativity to invest in privacy. We don't agree with this approach and felt it was up to us to create a truly private mobile phone service at an affordable price," added Sesar.
The Samsung Galaxy S II features a 4.3-inch screen with an 800 x 480 resolution. Powering this screen is a dual core Samsung Exynos 4210 clocked at 1.2 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal storage. There's also an 8MP camera on the back and a 2MP camera on the front. Normally, this phone retails for $299 USD, so the $189 price tag is a steal given there's no contract.
The phone comes with unlimited voice and text, plus 500 MB of data for three months, then costs $10 a month after that. Payment can be made via Bitcoin to further ensure anonymity.
To see if this new service is available in your area, head here.
