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posted by martyb on Tuesday March 26 2019, @09:28AM   Printer-friendly
from the remember-DIP-switches-and-jumpers? dept.

Like with our Librem laptops, our Librem 5 smartphone will also feature kill switches; but unlike the laptops it will have three kill switches, not just two:

        cameras and microphone
        WiFi and Bluetooth
        cellular baseband

Later in this post I’m going to describe an exciting new feature for our Librem 5 phone we are calling “Lockdown Mode” that extends our normal kill switches to provide even more security and privacy

[...]One big challenge when protecting your privacy on a phone is that, unlike an average laptop, a phone is full of more sensors and other hardware that could be used for tracking and spying. A lot of security research over the past decade has demonstrated just how much information can be derived by seemingly harmless sensors that are included on a phone.

[...]While we could add kill switches for every individual piece of hardware, having three kill switches already pushes the limits with respect to space on the phone, the complexity of the hardware and the overall user experience. So if you set the upper limit on kill switches to three, there are a number of different ways you can address the problem with these extra sensors including:

        Only disable those sensors with software
        Group sensors with one or more existing kill switches
        Lockdown Mode

We have thought through all of these different options, among others, and we decided that it was better to offer the option for extra security to those who really need it. We have selected a solution we are calling Lockdown Mode, that gives people who need this extra level of protection the option to turn all sensors off easily, without imposing extra complexity on an average user.

[...]To trigger Lockdown Mode, just switch all three kill switches off. When in Lockdown Mode, in addition to powering off the cameras, microphone, WiFi, Bluetooth and cellular baseband we also cut power to GNSS, IMU, and ambient light and proximity sensors. Lockdown Mode leaves you with a perfectly usable portable computer, just with all tracking sensors and other hardware disabled.

https://puri.sm/posts/lockdown-mode-on-the-librem-5-beyond-hardware-kill-switches/


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  • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Wednesday March 27 2019, @05:38AM (3 children)

    by hemocyanin (186) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @05:38AM (#820497) Journal

    When I first read that I was on Librem's side but I did look at their website marketing materials and the only people who would understand that there is no privacy when the radios are on, are the people who already understand that. You would think a company producing a phone with a privacy bias would make it stark raving clear how and when the phone protects your privacy, but they don't and I don't think that is very honest.

    I still want one of these but only because there is no competition.

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  • (Score: 2) by urza9814 on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:09PM (2 children)

    by urza9814 (3954) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @02:09PM (#820643) Journal

    the only people who would understand that there is no privacy when the radios are on, are the people who already understand that.

    In other words, most of their target market? It's not like this thing is going to be selling to business executives to replace their iPhone...seems to me that this thing is mostly targeted to Linux nerds like myself.

    • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Wednesday March 27 2019, @05:51PM (1 child)

      by hemocyanin (186) on Wednesday March 27 2019, @05:51PM (#820813) Journal

      If their target market was those who already understand, why did they write the website in such a manner that it would entice those who don't understand into a false sense of security? I'm bothered by that.

      • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @06:21PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 27 2019, @06:21PM (#820838)

        whoever writes their press releases is a bit of a moron. they do this all the time. they don't seem to understand who their market/demo is. they are selling something only privacy and freedom conscience people would be looking for, but they advertise to the ignorant masses. pretty fucking stupid.