Privacy and censorship in the digital world have long been a concern for conservatives. As large technology companies step up their efforts to suppress conservative voices, right-leaning Americans are looking for ways to avoid leftist conspiracies. However, conservatives must understand that although they must protect their privacy, they must also beware of those who try to take advantage of people’s concerns about their private information.
Last Thursday, a device called “Free Phone” was launched. The 22-year-old millionaire Erik Finman claimed to have created the product to help the Patriots “take back” control of their lives from the tech giants. The phone is priced at $499 and should provide conservatives with a way to get rid of the “spying” and “censorship” of large technology companies. Its design is presumably as an alternative to devices that rely on Google, Apple, and other technology companies.
In a tweet, Finman wrote: “This is the first major counterattack against the large technology companies that attacked us-because they have different ideas.”
Today I’m going to release Freedom Phone.
This is the first major resistance to the large tech companies that attacked us-because they have different ideas.
Has its own uncensorable App Store and privacy features.
We finally regained control. https://t.co/tOSnuxncfd pic.twitter.com/Hykp08ITCQ
— Eric Finman (@erikfinman) July 14, 2021
Several well-known conservatives publicly vouched for the device, claiming that it is the best way to avoid censorship and surveillance by companies such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter.Small invention report:
Freedom Phone claims that it protects users from data collection that comes with the iOS or Android operating system (it has something called “FreedomOS”-ironically, it seems to be just a modified version of Google’s Android operating system).
Finman’s phone is ostensibly a way for users to avoid Big Tech’s opposition to conservative views. It has the so-called “Uncensorable App Store”, namely “PatriApp”. Regardless of the content or intent of the technology, the store will not ban any applications. Each phone is equipped with privacy applications such as Signal and DuckDuckGo. They are pre-installed with apps designed to attract conservatives: One America News Network, Newsmax, Parler, and Rumble.
Sounds good so far, doesn’t it? But more in-depth research shows that conservatives should understate this particular product.
First, one of the problems is that Finman did not provide much information about the equipment, origins and technical specifications. In an interview with Daily Beast, Finman confirmed that the phone’s operating system is called “Freedom OS” and is based on Google’s Android operating system.
This may cause unforeseen security issues because “customized versions will bring risks because they may not be able to get the latest patches and security updates”, according to The internet.
Matthew Hickey, co-founder of Hacker House and an experienced network professional, told Small invention Freedom Phone seems to be a cheap device that may come from China. In an email, he told Gizmodo:
According to photos on the company’s website, many Internet detectives discovered that the device has the same shape, shape and appearance as Umidigi A9 Pro.
The online professional went on to explain that Umidigi A9 Pro “is a customizable Android phone that can be ordered from the Asia-Pacific region and customized according to project requirements.”
He further described how to “buy and ship these devices in bulk, with custom logos and brands, so that the appearance of the phone has a unique purpose, but in fact it is just an ordinary cheap Android smartphone with core components.” Produced in Taiwan and surrounding areas. “
Science and Technology Times Report “China is notorious for sponsoring computer hackers and suppressing online posts to monitor the U.S. government and the U.S. private sector,” and the U.S. has banned several Chinese companies for security reasons.
The device itself is very cheap, with a price of about US$120 on AliExpress, a Chinese retail store, which is far below the US$499 markup of Freedom Phone. In short, Finman’s charges seem to be nearly five times the actual value of the equipment.
In an interview with Daily Beast, Finman confirmed that the device was manufactured by Umidig and claimed that it was manufactured in Hong Kong. “Mainland China doesn’t have anything made by itself.”
However, Umidigi’s website Said its headquarters is located in Shenzhen, a Chinese city near Hong Kong.
Another area of concern is that the product’s website does not provide any specifications about the device itself. Gizmodo pointed out that at the time of writing, “there is no information about the phone’s operating system, storage, camera, CPU, or RAM capabilities.”
This should send a red flag for any consumer, because whenever a new mobile device is introduced to the market, the company always Provide specifications. The lack of transparency is problematic, especially when considering the price tag of the device.
Hickey also told Gizmodo that Freedom Phone appears to use a CPU developed by a Taiwanese company called Mediatek, which is “very popular among low-end Android-based devices.” He said that CPUs are known to be “problematic.”
The network professional pointed out that “Historically, MediaTek devices have a large number of unsafe configurations” and that they are vulnerable to “some trivial vulnerabilities that allow anyone with such devices to pass their early readings. Get/write data on the phone”. Bootloader. “
To make matters worse, Hickey explained:
They specialize in manufacturing mobile phones to allow a high degree of customization, so many vendors have software [that] It can be used to manipulate equipment, which is why this type of hardware is popular in North Korea and other countries, because user-enabled security can usually be easily bypassed by national operators.
Gizmodo also pointed out that there are better ways to protect personal privacy from large tech companies:
For example, you can get involved in Google’s mobile phone field-Android phones sold there are ostensibly refurbished to get rid of the coded devices that “send your personal data back” to the tech giants. There is also the Linux-based Pinephone, which sells for only a small part of the cost of Freedom Phone (between US$150 and US$200), and is a favorite of the privacy community.
Although the idea of Freedom Phone may excite those who are concerned about security, this particular device does not seem to give users what it promises. In its advertisement, it promised to block the provision of data to large technology companies. However, it seems to carry its own set of security risks.
Finman’s organization claimed that it resolved large-scale technology censorship and referred to Twitter and Facebook’s decision to bar former President Donald Trump from its platform. However, having different types of mobile phones does not prevent this from happening to other people. Also, if their app store allows all types of apps, what happens when someone creates software for malicious purposes? Will PatriApp still allow them to access their store?
Finally, Freedom Phone does not seem to be worth $499. Consumers may end up paying exorbitant prices for devices that cause more problems.
