Are You Still Using a Phone Number? Why That Could Be a Huge Mistake
Dear readers: Please welcome this sponsored educational piece from Above Phone. This company is at the forefront of the fight against constant surveillance, empowering individuals to “take back our tech” and reclaim control over their digital lives.
This story is brought to you by Take BackOur Tech:
On December 4th, 2024, international cybersecurity agencies revealed in a joint announcement that Chinese threat actors (Salt Typhoon) compromised major global telecommunications providers, including Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen.
Astonishingly, US cybersecurity officials revealed that they don’t know the full scope of the attack and that the attackers still remain within critical infrastructure. So far, 8 US firms and dozens of international telecommunications companies have been compromised.
“Unless you are using a specialized app, any one of us and every one of us today is subject to the review by the Chinese Communist government of any cell phone conversation you have with anyone in America.”
- Senator Mike Rounds @ Halifax International Security Form
What are the hackers after? According to the FBI:
A large amount of call detail records showing phone numbers, call duration, and cell tower location of telecom customers.
The calls and messages of targeted individuals, including government officials
Data gathered on the subjects of warrants through the Communications and Assistance and Law Enforcement Act (CALEA 1994)
That’s right - the tools that US law enforcement uses to surveil domestically were just abused by foreign actors.
The kicker is that the FBI wants you to use encrypted messaging apps to ‘protect’ yourself, but they name apps developed by big tech companies that receive money indirectly from the US government.
I think we can do a little better than their official guidance, after all its the government’s secret surveillance programs that got us into this mess in the first place.
Also, join us this Thursday, December 19th, as we look at technology addiction and abuse. This free webinar will expose how big tech applications are designed to capture your attention and how individuals can be more mindful of their technology use. RSVP here but hurry, spots are limited.
Ditch The Phone Numbers
Since we started #TakeBackOurTech, we’ve been championing the use of internet-based communications. Why? Because telecommunications cannot be legally encrypted, they must be handed over to law enforcement in case of an investigation.
That’s all of the fun stuff like warrants and wiretaps, which require a warrant to be approved by a judge.
And then there are the unconstitutional surveillance programs like the Drug Enforcement Agency’s HEMISPHERE, a secret database containing all of the phone calls made in the United States since 2008, with 40B+ records being added every year.
The HEMISPHERE program was used to catch drug dealers who ‘dropped’ their phones and picked up a new burner phone. A program used the common contacts of target phones and new phones to detect which phones the target may have switched to.
Keep in mind that the program was released in 2008 - so it is likely far more sophisticated today.
The moral of the story is that phone calls and texts aren’t private - never will be.
Ditch the phone numbers. Demand better communications.
The New Way To Communicate
You can have private conversations by using internet based encrypted communications. We’ve been running our own communication services for thousands of people since 2021. Here’s our recommendations.
How To Stay Connected
For internet-based communications, all you need is a connection to the internet. This could be a WiFi connection or even an ethernet connection to communicate with negligible electromagnetic radiation.
If you want to travel outside the house or local WiFi networks, you’ll need to get a cell service. We will be launching our privacy-first data-only SIM this month, and you can sign up for the waitlist here:
Because it's a data-only SIM, it doesn’t have a phone number - it’s only meant to connect to the internet. And you can use a VPN to encrypt your internet so that your local WiFi router, or internet service provider can’t see what you’re doing.
Better Communications
Encrypted messaging apps have become the norm for people to make calls, send messages, and even send files. However, not all messaging apps are built equal. Most messaging apps run on big tech infrastructure and have proprietary server-side code, meaning you don’t really know what they’re doing.
We encourage people to use XMPP, a free and decentralized communication protocol. It's over 20 years old, works on all platforms, and offers end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice calling, and even video calling.
When you sign up for XMPP, you get your own XMPP identifier, which looks kind of like an email. Anyone can run an XMPP server, so XMPP servers communicate with each other or ‘federate’ to get communications to the right people on the network.
This keeps things decentralized and private. We run a professional XMPP service as part of the Above Suite, so you can try out XMPP for yourself. You can use XMPP through an app on your phone or even on your laptop.
Finding Freedom & Privacy
With the rise in cyberattacks, both on an individual and societal level, there’s never been a better time to take responsibility for your technology and get protection on your phone and laptop.
You’ll find more freedom and privacy on these devices and can avoid surveillance from telecommunications and big tech. Our holiday sale has deeply discounted phones, laptops, and tablets - the sale runs from now until December 22nd. Don’t wait, though; order by December 13th to get your device in time for Christmas.
