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Security experts are concerned about the “Freedom Phone”, a new device touted by prominent conservatives as both secure and resistant to censorship.
Unveiled on Wednesday by Erik Finman, the world’s youngest bitcoin millionaire, the $ 500 Freedom Phone claims to offer a host of robust privacy features as well as an uncensored app store.
Finman says the Freedom Phone runs on a custom Android operating system known as “FreedomOS” and provides access to apps like Talk, the social media service that had previously been banned from app stores at the aftermath of the Capitol riot.
The phone’s launch also came with a bunch of endorsements from popular right-wing figures such as Jack Posobiec and Candace Owens, both of whom offered their subscribers discount codes for the device. It is still unclear whether either person is receiving bribes to promote the Freedom Phone.
Still, security experts are raising serious questions about the device, noting that the Freedom Phone’s website does not provide any relevant information regarding its specifications or source code.
Matthew Hickey, co-founder of cybersecurity firm Hacker House, told The Daily Dot that the Freedom Phone appears to be nothing more than a renowned Umigami A9 Pro, a Chinese smartphone that costs just $ 119 on AliExpress.
“This device is a customizable, straight-through Android-based phone,” Hickey said. “They can be bought and shipped in bulk from Asia with custom logos and branding to give the appearance of a phone designed for a unique purpose.”
Hickey added that the phone is known for poor security largely due to its use of processors from MediaTek, a Taiwanese company that supplies chips for smartphones.
“I have never encountered a secure MediaTek device in my entire life,” Hickey said. “Using MediaTek for anything and expecting privacy or security is fundamentally flawed. “
Hickey even said that MediaTek’s processors are widely used in smartphones across North Korea due to their “highly customizable nature and poor security,” which allows the regime to easily implement backdoors. surveillance.
The Daily Dot contacted Freedom Phone to inquire about the device’s specifications, but did not receive a response. Questions about potential security issues also went unanswered.
Other issues surround Freedom Phone’s app store, known as PatriApp. The company did not explain what protections, if any, were put in place to ensure that malware was not introduced.
“Google and Apple app stores go through a rigorous code inspection process before making apps available. And while it’s not foolproof, it helps prevent a wide variety of common malware from loading onto devices, ”Hickey said. “The Freedom Phone offers an app store that promises not to censor apps, but hasn’t specified how it will perform this vital process while avoiding malware. “
With almost no information provided on Freedom Phone’s device so far, major questions remain. And without access to the source code of the operating system, users won’t know exactly what their phone is doing in the background.
But maybe they will feel free from the shackles of high tech when they download virus after virus.
This week’s top tech stories
* First published: July 15, 2021, 3:04 p.m. CDT
Mikaël Thalen
Mikael Thalen is a Seattle-based tech and security reporter who covers social media, data breaches, hackers, and more.
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