A new “snoop-resistant” mobile phone that can encrypt all calls and messages to protect them from spies, hackers and jealous partners will soon go on sale.
The Blackphone is described by its makers as “the world’s first smartphone to put privacy and control ahead of everything else”.
It is part of a growing effort among technology companies to protect personal information and follows revelations from the whistleblower Edward Snowden that American and British intelligence agencies have snooped on millions of people via the internet and their devices.
The Blackphone is the brainchild of Silent Circle, a private communications company founded by former US Navy Seals, and Geeksphone, a Spanish handset maker. Using cryptography — ways of masking information and communications — the device is able