Edward Snowden Designs iPhone Case That Detects Data Snooping

Data privacy is a burning issue which is a major concern for almost everyone. Taking note of the issue, former National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden has collaborated with a researcher from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab to create a special mobile phone case which will protect smartphone users from government surveillance.

The device in question, dubbed "introspection engine," was presented by Snowden and co-designer and American hacker Andrew "Bunnie" Huang via video link at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, reported Wired.

According to the makers, the case-like introspection device will create a protective cover around mobile devices. In simple words, the device will alert smartphone users of any sort of snooping attempt. It will keep a constant check on the handset's internal antennas to detect incoming and outgoing signals from the cellular, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or GPS chips.

The device will appear similar to an external battery case, and will support a small mono-color screen that will flash an alert when a transmission gets detected.

If in case the device detects any radio information being transmitted it will warn the user with an audible alarm. Huang claims that they might incorporate a "kill switch" to turn off the phone automatically.

"Malware packages, peddled by hackers at a price accessible by private individuals, can activate radios without any indication from the user interface," Huang and Snowden noted in a blog post published Thursday, reported The Guardian. "Trusting a phone that has been hacked to go into airplane mode is like trusting a drunk person to judge if they are sober enough to drive."

Currently, the device is aimed only at iPhone 6 models. However, the makers are planning to create specifications for other devices as well. They are hoping to build a prototype of the device that tests the design in real-world settings in the coming years.

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