The Anti-NSA Smartphone: Silent Circle's Blackphone

Blackphone, the phone that’s touted as THE phone able to block out possible NSA intrusions, joins the lineup of Android for Work phones.

Google is racing to get the lion’s share of the enterprise mobile device demand, with the Android for Work initiative. They are competing against Apple in securing the enterprise market previously dominated by Blackberry. Taking a page off of Blackberry’s book, adding possibly the world’s most secure Android, is an astute strategic move.

The Blackphone is dubbed as “The Anti-NSA Smartphone,” and rightfully so. It has privacy modes that are practically impervious to wire-tapping. So if there’s a call that a user would like to make that requires blocking out the NSA’s propensity to tap civilian’s devices, this phone can make that possible.

Why end-users would need that feature leaves a lot to speculation. However, if that end-user is Tom Brady, he should have swapped his Samsung for a Blackphone.

Companies would be better able to leverage the privacy functions of the Blackphone, however. A majority of multinational companies have trade and company secrets that need DEFCON 1-level protection. Tech companies, especially, need to protect their proprietary designs from being leaked. Medical research is also another field that would require extreme levels of privacy. The list goes on; highlighting the Blackphone’s potential in being key to moving Android for Work’s product lines.

However, the level of security that these phones can give the end user is also phenomenally alarming. With terrorist groups being able to live and mix amongst regular folk then being able to deploy their schemes without warning, even before the Blackphone, it would be alarming if the phone model could be purchased by these groups. The fact that no regulation rules for this device has been set in place so far raises security concerns. Like guns, Blackphone distribution should be regulated and controlled.

Blackphone 1 Specs:

-Processor: 2 GHz Quad-Core SoC

-RAM: 1GB

-Internal Storage: 16GB

-Connectivity: HSPA+, LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS

-Display: 4.7 inches, HD IPS

-Camera: 8MP primary with flash, 5MP front camera

Blackphone 2 Specs:

-Processor: 1.7 GHz Snapdragon 615 Octa-Core Processor

-RAM: 3GB

-Internal Storage: 32GB

-Connectivity: HSPA+, LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual band 2.4/5.0 GHz, Bluetooth 4.0LE, GPS

-Display: 5.5 inches, full HD IPS Screen, Gorilla Glass 3 protection

-Camera: 13MP primary with flash, 5MP front camera

-Battery: 3,060 mAh, non-removable

The Blackphone line of secure devices is a collaborative effort by tech companies GeeksPhone and Silent Circle, under the company they formed with their partnership, SGP Technologies. It runs a forked version of Android 4.4.2, called the proprietary PrivatOS.

Indeed, when Silent Circle co-founder said that "We're replacing BlackBerry,” it looks like they took a page off of Blackberry’s book, expanded it, went to print with it themselves, and it looks like that page just might become a New York Times Bestseller in the enterprise.

Good on Google to add the Blackphone to the Android for Work lineup.