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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 basebandLater 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 ModeWe 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/
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Wednesday March 27 2019, @01:57PM
I've seen some discussion already about porting LineageOS to the Librem, and I can't imagine it would be THAT difficult given the open nature of the device. So there's a pretty decent possibility that you WILL be able to use Android if you really want it. Personally I'm kinda hoping for a dual boot option.
And yes, the hardware is a bit dated, and it probably always will be on projects like this until/unless they become a bit more mainstream. But it does appear to be past the point of "good enough for damn near everything". There was once a time when a two year old smartphone would be horribly slow and nearly unusable. But I'm currently using a five year old device and have never once felt like it wasn't powerful enough*. You can have the latest and greatest CPU, largely for bragging rights since it doesn't make much difference in daily operation...or you can have an open and secure device. Seems like a reasonable trade to me.
* Of course, some of the slowness that people often experience also comes from using the stock rom that keeps getting updated with more and more bloatware to "make use of" newer and faster CPUs. Strip all of that crap out and you really don't need a top tier processor.