Encryption, Cameras and Games

Helge Hafting helge.hafting at hist.no
Mon Jan 18 09:47:29 CET 2010


Rashid wrote:
> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm going to need a very safe smart phone for using it for investigative
> reporting. 
> 
> So I have some questions before I'm going to get a Freerunner:
> 
> 1. Can you encrypt a LVM with luks like in Ubuntu? 
> 
> 2. Can you encrypt the whole phone / file-system? If not will it be
> possible in futere and is someone working on it?
> 
It runs linux, so it is  able to do anything you can do with
linux. (Within the limited processing power of the device.)
You may have to set this up yourself though, I am
not aware of anyone experimenting with encrypted filesystems.


> 3. Can you plug in an USB Cam (Like a Webcam) and use it to film
> (extremly important) on the crypted LVM? 
> 
You can plug in any USB device that linux supports.  I don't know if the 
device is fast enough to actually encrypt and store a video stream 
though. You might want to consider a really small PC like an acerONE. It 
even has a built-in webcam.


> 4. Mobile internet over GSM is working I think, or?
> 
Yes, this works fine. GPRS isn't very fast though.

> 5. Can you send the videostream / the videofile while you are recording
> via SSH (or something similar safe) to a server? The idea is, that when
> your phone is destroyed while filming you have at least the video until
> this moment.
Probably not over GPRS - not enough bandwith for video! Wifi has
enough bandwith, if you are within range of an access point.


> 6. With Hackable:1 Rev5 Chuck you can easily turn down GSM. Your
> location can't be found when its turned of, or? Can you force the GSM to
> connect to a random, far away GSM tower/connection-station to confuse
> the observers about your position?

Turning off GSM means they can't find your position using the GSM 
network any more. They still know where you were, when you turned
it off though.

I am not sure you can force a connection to a faraway tower, and it
certainly won't help you. The other towers still see the better
signal strength, so your location is still known.


> 
> We have serious problems in Europe with the freedom of the press so it
> would be great to use the freerunner with openmoko for helping freedom
> of the press.

What part of Europe would that be? Definitely not western Europe.

Helge Hafting



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