In a surprise move that’s more iPhone than iPhone, it looks like Android may be taking privacy to the next level, with new devices able to hide their locations even from their networks.
Even more markedly, Google has also previewed a feature to protect devices from IMSI grabbers and intercept platforms. These are the technologies used by law enforcement and sometimes criminals to capture phone IDs and trick those phones into connecting to a copycat network, allowing calls and messages to be intercepted.
As ever with this level of phone security and privacy, it’s good to have even if it won’t be a game-changer for the vast majority of users. But for journalists, politicians, celebrities, dissidents and protesters, this is a major advance in the improvement of personal privacy and data security and is as welcome as it is surprising.
I suppose too with the global adoption of RCS it also means that insecure text messaging can also be a thing of the past soon (ish). Wonder if the bulk SMS companies have aligned with this yet.