As more news regarding NSA spying and insecure public communications surface, two companies feel there is a market for a new smartphone that is focused on offering users a secure and private way of communicating. Encrypted communications company Silent Circle and Firefox OS device developer Geeksphone, have teamed up to create a new device called Blackphone that “comes preinstalled with all the tools you need to move throughout the world, conduct business, and stay in touch, while shielding you from prying eyes.”
As the reality of the extent and invasiveness of the security services’ dragnet surveillance programs hits home, the pro-privacy movement has been cranking up its own ideas to counter spy-tech with pro-privacy tech. The Lavabit founder’s recent Kickstarter for a secure end-to-end open source encrypted email project called Dark Mail is one example. Today, here’s another: meet Blackphone, a smartphone that’s been designed to enable secure, encrypted communications, private browsing and secure file-sharing.