How to Avoid Spying on Smartphones – Bitcoin Magazine
This is an opinion editorial by Anthony Feliciano, a Bitcoin organizer and consultant.
It’s no secret that we live in a mass surveillance state. The technology designed to help us become a more energy-efficient and productive society is now our biggest threat to our privacy and self-absorbed well-being. Take a look around – from smart fridges to smart light bulbs, nanny cams to smart TVs, computers, Ring, Google Nest, Alexa and our smartphones can all be used to spy on us, and that’s just the list of devices that are doing it before you step out of your house. They are all equipped with cameras, sensors and microphones that monitor and monitor every movement, feeling and action. Many people will point to the Patriot Act, when the US government began spying on its own citizens’ communications, under the guise of “national security”.
This will be a two-part series, starting with the piece explaining the “why” – why you should start formulating an opt-out plan when it comes to your smartphone, even more so if you’re a Bitcoiner. The “why” does not necessarily apply only to bitcoiners, but to anyone who wants to reclaim their privacy, such as journalists and/or people living in repressive regimes.
The second part will be the “how” – I’ll give you tools and options to help you start your opt-out journey while still using Bitcoin.
How mobile service providers spy on us:
I’ll start with mobile providers and talk about some of the tools they have available that are currently being used. Some of these terms and tools you’ve probably heard before, but may not be sure how they work. What is important to remember is that the information captured from these tools may be subject to subpoenas by lawyers or government agencies.
- Carrier-branded smartphones: These are the phones you “lease” from any carrier on a monthly payment plan. They come preloaded with tons of apps that are carrier-branded and can’t be removed. Most apps are carrier specific and log the data you put into them as well as track other apps.
AT&T Secure Family and the Google Play app are two examples – “Find your family, control your child’s screen time and manage their phone usage.”
Key features include:
- This app may share data with third parties.
- This app may collect location and personal information.
- Data is encrypted during transmission.
- Data cannot be deleted.
- Mobile OS: A mobile OS is the operating system your smartphone uses, and is like a version of Windows, macOS or Ubuntu on your personal computer. Today, the smartphone market is dominated by two players. Google and Apple. By agreeing to the “terms and conditions” of using Google or Apple services, we give access to all aspects of our lives, both private and public, to them. When people complain about Big Tech spying on us, it’s really our own fault since we don’t need to use any of these services.
*Note: I will be discussing two projects to help Android users with their opt-out plan. Sorry Apple users, you’ll have to wait until it becomes easier to jailbreak an iPhone.
- Apps: Too many of them are on our smartphones. When was the last time you downloaded an app that didn’t need access to every part of your phone to work? Almost every app we download needs access to our contacts, phone, text messages, photos, GPS location, etc. All with an emphasis on “gathering information for a better customer experience.” With the rise of malware apps targeting cryptocurrency users, shouldn’t we be more mindful of the apps we install and the permissions given to them since we also have Bitcoin and LN apps sitting on our phones too?
- Trilateration: GPS. Our cell phones are constantly sending out signals that want to receive “confirmation” signals from nearby cell towers. The more towers our smartphones connect to, the better the accuracy of finding your position within meters.
*Note: Not even turning off your GPS is foolproof. That’s because our smartphones are still connected to nearby towers via the radio inside them. This will not find your exact location, but just enough to provide the necessary information about where you are at a particular time.
- SIM swapping attack: This is when a fraudster is able to pose as you (through social engineering), and calls your mobile provider to trick them into transferring your mobile number to a SIM card in their possession. The goal is to receive one-time access codes to your accounts. In Bitcoin terms, the targets here are usually centralized exchanges. This was the case when a fraudster used a sim-swap attack to receive a one-time code and withdraw the victim’s cryptocurrency. There are many other such horror stories involving SIM swapping attacks with the aim of cleaning out someone’s crypto accounts.
- Stingrays: Physical hardware used by government agencies worldwide. The premise behind the attack is that Stingrays act as “fake” cell phone towers by giving off a stronger signal so your smartphone thinks it’s talking to a nearby tower, while some agency is actually acting as the man-in-the-middle, recording all data (text , calls and data) that have been transferred from the person of interest. The biggest problem with this, anyone who happens to wander past the intended target has all the information captured as well. Everyone nearby’s privacy is at risk when this tactic is used.
- Social, political or economic injustice rallies: If there were ever more examples of why you should use a burner phone or privacy-focused device for these events, it was the fallout from the Canadian Truckers Rally and the events of January 6, 2021. In the months following the events, governments worked with Big Tech to track down and arrest scores of people, just by viewing their social media feeds or subpoenaing cellphone records from carriers. These cell phone records were used to determine whether you were near such protests in order to prosecute individuals. I must stress this again, never bring your everyday phone to such a rally ever. Always bring a spare phone that you can drop or destroy anyway.
How to start opting out
To begin, head over to CalyxOS or GrapheneOS to do some light reading. These two projects are similar in nature and offer a great alternative mobile OS that is free of Google services and all tracking included. Their respective websites have a list of compatible devices and installation guides. The two projects have grown the most in popularity among bitcoiners. I will post links to apps I use for privacy as well as Bitcoin and LN apps that you can use with a de-Googled phone so you can still use Bitcoin without all the spying and tracking.
Privacy is a right, we should all remember, and not take it lightly or sacrifice it for convenience. Nothing is 100% secure and private, unless you plan to live off the web in the mountains. If your wife isn’t thrilled with that idea, at least start exploring an opt-out plan when it comes to communication and Bitcoin.
This is a guest post by Anthony Feliciano. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
