I have seen many posts about phones that are more secure or privacy focused. Are there phone networks that focus on this too?
Ask HN: Secure/Private Phone Network?
1–10 of 16 posts
Re: Ask HN: Secure/Private Phone Network?
#2There was one..and it was run by FBI / CIA to trap people
Re: Ask HN: Secure/Private Phone Network?
#3Not anything I'd trust.
Use communication software you trust (Signal?) over VPN on IP networks (cell/wifi/wired).
Re: Ask HN: Secure/Private Phone Network?
#4There was one..and it was run by FBI / CIA to trap people
Well the major ones just sell them the data so I guess it's all the same
Re: Ask HN: Secure/Private Phone Network?
#5Not anything I'd trust. Use communication software you trust (Signal?) over VPN on IP networks (cell/wifi/wired).
I was mostly wondering if there were any that didn't sell your data, like location and traffic data. I understand that to truly be reasonably secure you would have to take the steps you mentioned... and still wouldn't help with location tracking.
I was mostly just interested if there was a company that was focused on consumer protection, then I would prefer to support them by switching to them.
Re: Ask HN: Secure/Private Phone Network?
#6As someone who’s spent a lot of time working in the world of telco, it’s depressing how inherently unsecure the networks are in their design – Some networks attempt to improve on this which is good, however I simply wouldn’t call them secure.
My suggestion to anyone seriously worried about security – Consider the Internet access on your device no more secure than open WiFi at a coffee shop, and assume Calls/SMS are no more secure than a public conversation.
In short, use data/internet based over the top applications with encryption that you trust, obviously also trusting your endpoint/device too.
However remember that even that does nothing if your worried of location/device tracking.
Re: Ask HN: Secure/Private Phone Network?
#7As someone who’s spent a lot of time working in the world of telco, it’s depressing how inherently unsecure the networks are in their design – Some networks attempt to improve on this which is good, however I simply wouldn’t call them secure. My suggestion to anyone seriously worried about security – Consider the Internet access on your device no more secure than open WiFi at a coffee shop, and assume Calls/SMS are n…
Thanks! I agree with this. I was mostly wondering is any carrier had consumer privacy and stuff in mind from a nontechnical perspective, like not selling user data.
Re: Ask HN: Secure/Private Phone Network?
#8Not anything I'd trust. Use communication software you trust (Signal?) over VPN on IP networks (cell/wifi/wired).
I was mostly wondering if there were any that didn't sell your data, like location and traffic data. I understand that to truly be reasonably secure you would have to take the steps you mentioned... and still wouldn't help with location tracking. I was mostly just interested if there was a company that was focused on consumer protection, then I would prefer to support them by switching to them.
Why not just use appropriate tools for appropriate tasks? Making PSTN private is a battle you won't win because who you speak to is ultimately going to be the weakest link of any solution, likewise your cellphone itself, and all the infrastructure comms pass through.
Secure comms? Matrix protocol.
Secure email? Forget it.
Secure PSTN? Forget it.
Re: Ask HN: Secure/Private Phone Network?
#9Not anything I'd trust. Use communication software you trust (Signal?) over VPN on IP networks (cell/wifi/wired).
I was mostly wondering if there were any that didn't sell your data, like location and traffic data. I understand that to truly be reasonably secure you would have to take the steps you mentioned... and still wouldn't help with location tracking. I was mostly just interested if there was a company that was focused on consumer protection, then I would prefer to support them by switching to them.
>I was mostly wondering if there were any that didn't sell your data, like location and traffic data
Presumably you want this because you don't trust the incumbent mobile network operators (ie. the companies that actually operate their own towers)? If that's the case, it's unclear how going with another company will improve privacy, because they'll most certainly me MVNOs operating on the incumbent mobile network operators' networks. You'll still be exposed by surveillance by the incumbent operators, as well as the state.
>and still wouldn't help with location tracking
location privacy is fundamentally incompatible with mobile networks. The network has to know here you are (roughly) to route packets to you.
Re: Ask HN: Secure/Private Phone Network?
#10As someone who’s spent a lot of time working in the world of telco, it’s depressing how inherently unsecure the networks are in their design – Some networks attempt to improve on this which is good, however I simply wouldn’t call them secure. My suggestion to anyone seriously worried about security – Consider the Internet access on your device no more secure than open WiFi at a coffee shop, and assume Calls/SMS are n…
Does it make any difference worth caring about going from 2G to 3G to 4G? I know extremely little about telecom, and only remember reading once that something oldish with a name like s7 (but that's apparently not it) was so bad.