That is freakin' _excellent_.

That is exactly what we need.

Paradigm: When you control the technology, it's liberating. When you don't, it's oppressive.

For example Google's EULA agreement for their Search app update on Android, which gives them permission to turn on your camera and microphone at ANY time and WITHOUT notifying you or seeking confirmation: there is no other reason for that, than to spy on people: it's oppressive technology. "You search Google, Google searches you. We invented Search, we don't need no stinkin' warrant!"

Contrast to: DIY mobiles, with open-source operating systems and apps, where every function is controlled by the user. To which I'd add my "hookswitch," a simple physical switch with three positions: ON (fully enabled), Standby (all sensors physically disconnected & shorted, all it can do is ring), and OFF (battery disconnected, totally shut down).

Ideal case, the user can toggle every sensor on and off at will. When you're making a phone call you probably don't want your camera on. When you're taking photos, you probably don't want your mic on. If you're concerned about being stalked, you don't want your GPS on unless you call 911.

But we don't have to settle for a wooden enclosure with un-labeled buttons. We could also have custom enclosures built, that are fully functional and properly labeled, and more robust than the commercial ones. There's no good reason a mobile can't be as physically robust as an oldschool dial phone.

-G.

=====

On 13-03-27-Wed 1:29 PM, J Clark wrote:

Sudoers,

Following a related conversation earlier, here's info on a DIY cellphone:
http://hlt.media.mit.edu/?p=2182

https://github.com/damellis/cellphone

I'd love to follow any development that happens around here. Not a coder, but happy to test!

j.

P.S. from the "you knew it was coming" dept:

How Hard Is It to 'De-Anonymize' Cellphone Data?
http://j.mp/14oUhaC  (Science Daily)

  "The proliferation of sensor-studded cellphones could lead to a wealth
   of data with socially useful applications -- in urban planning,
   epidemiology, operations research and emergency preparedness, among
   other things. Of course, before being released to researchers, the
   data would have to be stripped of identifying information. But how
   hard could it be to protect the identity of one unnamed cellphone user
   in a data set of hundreds of thousands or even millions? According to
   a paper appearing this week in Scientific Reports, harder than you
   might think."
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