A new smartphone from a Switzerland-based tech partnership may protect your privacy even from the government.
Blackphone, created by Silent Circle and Geeksphone's joint venture, is intended to protect users and their data from any form of snooping, even the National Security Agency, Mashable reported.
The phone is set to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress on Feb. 24 in Barcelona, the outlet said.
According to Phil Zimmerman, a Blackphone backer and the creator of data encryption protocol PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), the new smartphone's No. 1 priority is protecting the user's privacy.
"Blackphone provides users with everything they need to ensure privacy and control of their communications, along with all the other high-end smartphone features they have come to expect," said Zimmermann.
The new device is powered by a "security-oriented" system known as PrivatOS, which is "carrier- and vendor-independent," allowing users to send and receive secure phone calls, video chats and text messages. Blackphone adopters will also be able to transfer and store files without fear of privacy invasion.
The smartphone is "the latest device aimed at privacy and security-conscious consumers in Europe in the post-Edward Snowden era," The Wall Street Journal described. It comes soon after documents revealed that the NSA has had essentially total access to iPhones through a software implant.
Blackphone's specifications haven't been released yet; however, Silent Circle CEO Mike Janke has described it as a "high-end" smartphone.
A Geeksphone spokesman told WSJ that more information about the device will be released next month, and the company said the phone will be available for pre-order on Feb. 24.
Silent Circle is an American company that focuses on encryption; the website claims "the world's most secure solution in mobile privacy." Spanish company Geeksphone works on Firefox OS developer devices, according to Mashable.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
