On 07/01/2013 11:21 AM, Lorenzo Franceschi Bicchierai wrote: > Any other cool examples you can think of? I'd like to get as many examples > as possible, so I thought I'd ask here since you guys must know many more.
One idea that I am working on in a *very* rough form, is making smartphones that are a little but more dumb. Return the phone to be a portable computer with a wireless radio, and not also a camera and microphone. For example, it is quite possible to remove the cameras and built-in microphone from a Galaxy Nexus phone (and other "fixable" smartphones) with a guitar pick and a single screw driver: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+Nexus+Teardown/7182/2 and still have the device function. This would require you to use a plugin headset to make calls, but otherwise, you no longer have to fear that a malicious app is taking pictures of you or listening to your conversations in the room. Like I said, this idea is early, and perhaps a futile exercise, but I think it is empowering to explore how easy it is for a person to modify the hardware of a smartphone in a privacy-enhancing way. Good luck with your research! +n -- Too many emails? Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password by emailing moderator at [email protected] or changing your settings at https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
