Edward Snowden designs iPhone case against wireless snoops

Three years after making international headlines by spilling secrets kept by the US National Security Agency (NSA), Edward Snowden is still “on the run” to combat wireless surveillance.

Together with hardware hacker Andrew “Bunnie” Huang, Snowden developed the “introspection engine,” a case-like device that monitors electrical signals by connecting to any phone’s radio transmitters, informing the user of any WiFi or Bluetooth connection used for data. It is designed as an accessory case that clutches a sim card and its port.

The duo presented the proposed iPhone-case design via video stream at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab  on Thursday, The Guardian, 9to5Mac and Engadget reported.

If any wireless connection is used, the phone would receive alert messages or a loud alarm. Moreover, the phone could shut down automatically to prevent wireless surveillance.

Snowden and Huang opted to make the “introspection engine” to protect journalists covering war-like situations. “One good journalist in the right place at the right time can change history. One good journalist can move the needle in the context of an election. One well-placed journalist can influence the outcome of a war,” he said, according to The Guardian.

Journalists can record videos and audios while their iPhone’s radio signals are disabled, thus acting as a “kill switch” if the iPhone is being snooped without permission.

Snowden, who is still exiled in Russia, envisions to construct these prototypes by next year and distribute it to journalists.  Gianna Francesca Catolico