Source: Boeing
A combination of events is leading some in the tech industry to devise highly secure software and hardware: The revelations about the National Security Agency’s mass data collection through personal devices and private tech companies, in addition to several high-profile data breaches within the last several months that have compromised the personal information of millions of people. A slew of heightened security features on both mobile and desktop softwares since 2013 have highlighted the deepened concern around personal security — both from international hackers and prying government eyes. But it is the new hardware that really sets the tone for a potential new era of secure devices. The latest is Boeing’s Black — a smartphone that self-destructs.
VISUAL CONTEXT: DATA PROCESSED PER YEAR
Source: IDC, Radicati Group, Facebook, TR Research, Pew Internet
Many of the specifications of the smartphone are being kept under wraps, but Reuters reported that the phone is able to access multiple cellular networks instead of subscribing to one, and its physical shell is tamper-proof. The hardware is designed to sense if a user is attempting to break into the electrical make-up, and the software is designed to erase all data and stored information if a jailbreak or hacking is attempted. Geared specifically towards government agencies and groups that operate confidential activity, the smartphone is in the process of obtaining FCC authorization.
If the Boeing Black takes off, it’s bad news for BlackBerry, which just released security upgrades and improvements to its software to try to regain its foothold in the government sector where it long held the top spot for mobile presence.
But while the Boeing Black is meant for those in government only, it represents another extension of the trend of new devices and work being done to produce technologies impervious to the very real threat of data breaches. In a similar vein, although for consumers, Blackphone has drummed up much hype and speculation over the last month since its unveiling. Crafted by Silent Circle and Geeksphone, Blackphone is a device that processes entirely encrypted communications, designed for the consumer who prefers to avoid the prying eyes of the NSA. Officially unveiled at the Mobile World Congress this week in Barcelona, Spain, the device will sell for $630, and run on an operating system based on Android called PrivatOS. Here, Blackphone and Boeing Black have one specific thing in common: both of their secure operations occur based on Android, but with customized levels of advanced security.
