There are the basic things you can do to protect your data and
your phone, like avoiding public Wi-Fi networks, enabling built-in tools
like "Find My iPhone," and using a good password. Both iOS and Android
phones offer options for turning off "location services,"
so apps can't track your coordinates. But in an age of cyberattacks
from renegade hackers, non-state actors, and government spies, it's not a
terrible idea to arm your phone with apps that provide encrypted
communication, anonymous browsing, and theft protection. Below, a tour
of some of the best ones out there.
TextSecure, like its name suggests, secures your text messages. It's the easiest to use open source end-to-end encrypted messaging
app out there. It can act as a full replacement for your default
texting app or a standalone Wi-Fi/data messaging app like WhatsApp—or
both. When messaging other TextSecure users, your messages are
automatically encrypted on the fly, though both parties need to have
TextSecure installed to benefit from its encrypted messaging. TextSecure
handles all of the necessary key exchanges in the background. The app
can be set to send messages only over the Internet or only SMS or to
just use whichever is available.
TextSecure has two modes: It can handle all of your text messages or
it can be used only for texts between TextSecure users. You might think
that there's no reason to use TextSecure as your default texting app
since the encrypted messaging only works with other TextSecure users.
However, there's another privacy benefit to using TextSecure: All of the
messages stored locally on your phone are kept in a password-protected
encrypted database. So if your phone is ever lost or stolen, your texts
can't be accessed by someone who otherwise compromises your phone.
WhatsApp recently integrated
TextSecure's code for encrypted messaging. So WhatsApp users are
already benefiting from TextSecure's work on messaging security. But to
best ensure your privacy, opt for TextSecure because it's fully open
source, with code that can be publicly audited.
RedPhone and its iOS equivalent Signal come from the makers of
TextSecure and boasts the same ease of use not commonly found in
encryption apps that aren't peddling snake oil. What TextSecure does for
texting, these apps do for phone calls. (You remember phone calls,
right?) Simply install the Android or iOS app and call a friend who also
has one of the apps and your calls will be automatically encrypted. The
apps are interoperable, so people who use RedPhone can call Signal
users and vice versa.
If you're worried that you won't know who of your friends has one of
these apps installed, don't worry, the developers have you covered. When
you first launch RedPhone or Signal, you'll be prompted to register
your phone in their database. That way, when you open your app, you'll
instantly see who in your phone's address book is using RedPhone or
Signal.
RedPhone comes with one feature boast over Signal. On Android, if you
try to place a regular phone call to someone whose number is registered
with either app, RedPhone will prompt you to ask if you want to upgrade
to an encrypted call. Signal doesn't have that same functionality,
presumably because Apple won't allow for the normal phone call user
experience to be interrupted.
If you pay any attention to the world of digital privacy, you've most
likely heard of Tor, the traffic routing software that makes it harder
(but not impossible) for your web browsing to be tracked. Orbot brings
Tor to Android. It allows other applications to connect to the Internet
through Tor, which can help anonymize your traffic and also circumvent
bans on websites that have been blocked by repressive governments.
Any app that can use specify proxy settings can route its traffic
through Orbot. That includes the default Twitter app, so that you can
tweet anonymously on the fly. But the most practical use case is
probably for your general web browsing. Orweb is a mobile web browser
that is built to work with Orbot out of the box.
ChatSecure is also made by The Guardian Project, the same
people who created Orweb. So naturally, you can run ChatSecure through
Orbot to get the same benefits of traffic anonymization and firewall
circumvention.
But you don't need Orbot to use ChatSecure (which is good for iOS
users who don't have access to Orbot). Even if it doesn't anonymize your
traffic through Tor, ChatSecure can still act as an encryption layer
for messages you're already using to talk to your friends like Facebook
chat. Using ChatSecure is a great middle ground to talk more securely
with friends who aren't ready to take the leap off of precipices like
Google or Facebook chat.
Prey is billed as an anti-theft tool. If your phone is lost or
stolen, your online Prey account lets you track your phone using its
GPS. It also lets you remotely lock your phone, sound a loud alarm, and
display a message on your phone to whomever is looking at it. While your
device is missing, Prey will send you email reports every five minutes
(less frequently, if you'd prefer) that include your phone's location
and a picture taken with your phone's camera, which might help you
identify where exactly it is or who took it.
If everything goes to hell, Prey is also your nuclear security
option. You can use it to remotely wipe your phone so that whoever stole
it can't access your personal files and settings. There are lots of
comparable anti-theft apps out there. But because you're giving
permission to an app to remotely access your camera and location, it's
important that you be able to trust that app. Because Prey's client software
is open source, independent coders can verify that the app isn't doing
anything it shouldn't be doing. Prey versions also exist for your
Windows, Mac, and Linux laptops.
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