SPOTLIGHT Mobile security is something we are all aware of. It is an area that we know we need to pay attention to so the ‘baddies’ cannot break into our deviceS and raid our information. But what about when the threat comes from government-level authorities? Vodafone’s recent Law Enforcement Disclosure Report blew the lid off our perceptions of privacy when it comes to mobile communications. Here, Vic Hyder, co-founder and revenue chief for encrypted communications firm providing secure multiplatform communication services, Silent Circle, tells us how it is.

Smart Chimps: Why should we not be surprised about the details uncovered in Vodafone's Law Enforcement Disclosure Report regarding our lack of privacy when using mobile communications?

Vic Hyder: Mobile devices provide the Holy Grail of information for Law Enforcement. Accessing information provided by the onboard sensors, leveraging the necessary positional awareness and activity logging of a cellular network, provides a cost effective, non labor intensive method to warehouse then analyse data at an opportune time.

SC: Are we naive to perhaps have thought our phone conversations were always private?

VC: Yes. With the advent of low cost storage the analytic power of cloud computing and an eager community of witting participants in the global telecommunication industry, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that privacy is now harder to find.

SC: Should we just put up with this type of violation of privacy?

VH: No. Don’t rely on a third party without incentive to ensure your privacy. Not only are telco’s and internet service providers not incentivised to consider individual privacy, they are in most cases paid to treat the user as a commodity. Silent Circle works diligently to put privacy back in hands of the individual, everyone should have the basic right to privacy.

SC: Although Vodafone’s report shows that all countries have different rules and regulations regarding communications privacy, generally in developed countries like the UK, US and Australia, how likely is it that our conversations will be listened to by authorities of some sort? Or is it just the bad guys that will get tapped?

VH: The likelihood that your conversations or at least the metadata from those conversations will be retained is high. The chance they will be listened to is much lower due to the volume of data that is stored. 

However, tapped is not an adequate descriptor. While it is cost effective and relatively low effort to mass-collect basic information, law enforcement in most developed nations are required to have more substantive justification to target an individual.

SC: How do you feel about Vodafone’s report?

VH: Sadly, this is not surprising. What life in the current surveillance state has shown us is that whether for commercial or Government purposes our information is the new currency of the digital age.

SC: Will we see more operators coming forward with more detailed reports like this now? Will it become easier for us to access information like this?

VC: Yes, there will be more disclosures. It will become easier as the public drives this demand.

SC: Do you think the publicity that has surrounded Vodafone’s report, following Snowdon’s comments, mean that the general public will begin to take more measures to protect their privacy on mobile? Or will people just shrug and continue as usual?

VH: A significant portion of users are ambivalent about privacy. Others value convenience over privacy. As new employees enter the workforce, they are much more skeptical of employer motives when allowing work related information on their personal devices. This is good news. 

The obverse side of this coin is they have been conditioned by convenience through all forms of social media to have a different paradigm of what privacy is. However, the advent and popularity of social apps that promise a more anonymous user experience is on the rise, showing there is a greater concern for privacy outside the workplace.

SC: Silent Circle is all about comms privacy. What inspired you guys to develop the kind of technology you have, which allows people to use mobile phones without having privacy invaded?

VH: Our inspiration is simple; the belief that everyone has a basic right to privacy. In everything we do we aspire to provide privacy, to give back what people deserve. 

SC: How can privacy apps help us maintain our privacy?

VH: The Silent Circle ecosystem is designed to significantly raise the height of the hurdle someone has to jump over to gain access to your mobile device communications.  

SC: Thanks Vic! Most illuminating.