Freedom Phones Attack and Reactions

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
MAGA World’s ‘Freedom Phone’ Actually Budget Chinese Phone


The pro-Trump internet went wild on Wednesday for the Freedom Phone, a $500 smartphone that comes stocked with conservative apps and promises to liberate anyone else who buys it from Silicon Valley censorship. The American flag-branded phone was immediately promoted by a wide range of right-wing figures, including former Trump adviser Roger Stone, Jan. 6 rally organizer Ali Alexander, and pundit Dinesh D’Souza.

“I’m holding a freaking phone that is not controlled by Apple or Google,” conservative personality Candace Owens told her fans in an Instagram video. “We made the switch immediately.”

Despite being lauded by some of the right-wing media’s leading figures, though, the Freedom Phone’s buyers could be getting less than they expect for its $500 price tag. That’s because the Freedom Phone appears to be merely a more expensive rebranding of a budget Chinese phone available elsewhere for a fraction of the Freedom Phone’s price.



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GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
MAGA-Branded 'Freedom Phone' Is a Black Box That Should Be Avoided at All Costs


Let’s start with the website (freedomphone.com). Hilariously, it provides literally zero specs about the actual device. There is no information about the phone’s operating system, storage, camera, CPU, or RAM capabilities. It has a list of features, but there are no actual details about them. Instead, under each feature, there’s merely a “Buy it now” button which redirects you to the site’s shopping cart. The phone’s hefty price, combined with the company’s total lack of transparency, is ridiculous—essentially asking the buyer to cough up half a grand in exchange for, uh, something! We sent an email to Freedom Phone to ask for further information and will update this story if they ever respond.

The fact that the device is essentially a black box also makes it a potential security (and thus also privacy) nightmare—and once again, it should be treated that way until proven otherwise. In fact, based on the assessment of some security professionals who have scoped it out, the Freedom Phone should be avoided at all costs.

Matthew Hickey, the co-founder of Hacker House and longtime cyber professional, said that, while it hasn’t been confirmed, the Freedom Phone would appear to be a cheap Android device sourced from Asia—the likes of which could be vulnerable to all assortment of supply chain risks and other issues.




Nice Hysterical Framing
 
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