Given the seemingly never-ending tide of news stories about reporters getting hacked by government officials or corporations, it would seem prudent for all journalists to embrace secure encryption. But one just needs to read the headlines to see that journalists must not be taking secure encryption seriously as they are frequently being targeted by hackers and surveillance.
Even though journalists understand their phones can be spied on, it’s clear they aren’t taking enough action to keep them and their sources secure. The good news is that secure encryption is readily available for those who want it.
Let’s check out what the features look like on a truly secure phone.
Military-Grade Encryption
Encryption comes in various strengths. It may be common for free apps to promote “end-to-end encryption,” but that doesn’t mean the encryption used is the strongest available. Choosing an encrypted phone number with the most advanced encryption available is the best way to keep hackers out of your communications.
From news stories about Pegasus spyware to occurrences of repressive governments, snooping on reporters, secure encryption could have made the difference between protecting journalists’ privacy.
Weak encryption can be bypassed, even if it’s end-to-end. Some companies that offer “end-to-end encryption” also sell their customer’s data to third-party companies.
Unless a platform’s security uses the strongest encryption and places security at the very centre of its business model, don’t trust it.
Secondary Security Features
Preventing hackers from remotely accessing your information is a critical step when it comes to protecting your privacy. You also need a suite of features on the device itself for it to be truly secure. Today, the best mobile devices offer many measures to keep your information private, even if a stranger manages to get their hands on your phone.
A notebook lock screen lets users create a custom pin for two-factor security. Other measures, such as self-destructing messages, allow you to keep sensitive communications private, eliminating the risk of the wrong people seeing it by controlling its shelf-life.
Any message set to self-destruct will be eliminated on both the sender’s and receiver’s phones, even if there’s no data connection. It can’t be saved, favorite, or forwarded on either device.
A tamper-proof feature that instantly deletes all your phone’s sensitive material if the wrong password is entered too many times is critical. This enables you alone to access your phone and all of your messages, contacts and more.
Journalists need to feel confident their private information and sources are safe and secure. Considering how many members of the media have been targeted in conflict zones, even in North America, you can’t take too many precautions when it comes to your phone.
Phones are a vital link for journalists to stay connected with contacts worldwide, but only if it’s secure.
Unfortunately, many journalists have suffered data breaches that could have been prevented with stronger encryption and secondary security features. Keep your sources and story private until it’s time to share them by getting a phone that takes encryption and security seriously.
