JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE PARANOID DOESN’T MEAN THEY’RE NOT OUT TO GET YOU
OR WHY I HAVE A FARADAY BAG (AND YOU SHOULD TOO)
Years ago, I was driving with a mate who was involved with the CIA at one point (amongst other agencies), and he would take his phone apart, remove the battery, and leave it like that till he needed to make a call.
When he wanted to phone someone, he’d put it all back together, call quickly and then pull it all apart. I thought he was paranoid and told him so. He just laughed. Years later, the news about Snowden broke, and we all found out that, yes, indeed, our own government listens in on our calls.
As if that’s not bad enough, then there was an expose about how Google still tracks where you are even if you turn your location off. A journalist involved in the piece traveled all around DC and then showed how Google knew where he was. This was despite him turning off the location tab. How’d they do it? They triangulated his position from cell phone towers for one. They’ll also use other apps, such as the one you use for the weather.
HOW DO YOU STOP THEM
You buy something called a Faraday bag. They’re named after their inventor Michael Faraday and are essentially a bag with a mesh-like tin foil-like substance that blocks electromagnetic pulses. That means the signal is not getting out, which in turn stops them from knowing where you are.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT ONE?
You might not. If you’re comfortable with the continually eroding privacy you enjoy and have nothing to hide, you might think they’re overkill. Fair enough. But before you rule them out, you might want to consider some other uses. Have you seen the clips where the thieves use a signal booster to steal high-end cars? Essentially they stand in the driveway, point the booster at your place, and pick up the signal from your key fob. By placing your keys in a Faraday bag or cage, you prevent that from happening. They also protect data that’s on your passport from being read.
The government will tell you not to worry, and yet, government employees from a multitude of agencies and even military intelligence personnel who deal in sensitive data have access to, and all use, Faraday bags whenever they travel.
Bottom line is that Smartphones can be hacked. Passports can be skimmed, and RFID chips on debit and credit cards can be skimmed remotely.
The bag can prevent all of that. Pretty cheap piece of mind and massively cheap if it prevents a hacker from stealing your ID or a password.
WHICH ONE?
If you’ve decided you want one, I’ve already done the research for you. This is a good one.
It’s phone-sized and will also take your passport and credit cards as well. If you want a Faraday Bag that’s large enough to take your laptop (yep, they’re just as vulnerable), then this is a good one for that purpose made by the same company.
The link is an affiliate link which means, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you buy through the link.
