Physical off switches

[BarryII]

I want physical switches that disconnect the battery, microphone, and speaker. I keep my phone in a draw at home and it can still record my voice. A virus that eavesdrops on me can be very effective with a microphone so powerful. I don't want to rely on trust any more than necessary when I'm turning off my phone. I want direct offness, not a software-off that you have to trust doesn't simply give the appearance of off. I also want an audio and written note taking app that can't interact in any way with any other app and can't save notes to a server or connect to the internet. We already have a nice selection of apps that can be abused. Lets make a more secure alternative. My phone has done too many unexpected things in my pocket for me to trust it and too many apps require too much unnecessary access for me to trust app developers. I'd like to see electronics repair places offer installation of physical off switches, installed while you watch.

 

[ShreyansShah]

dear Barryll,
can u enumerate or list ur requirements numbered?
the way u have put, it got all confusing. what we can do is find solution one by one.

 

[BarryII]

I'll keep it simple and stick to the "physical off switches." I want:

• a switch that disconnects the battery
• a switch that disconnects all sound-making devices in the phone
• a switch that disconnects the microphone

 

[ShreyansShah]

ok.
i am quite not sure about switches disconnecting the battery as it will put ur phone off and disabling the microphone (never heard of it),
but there used to be a physical key with older iPhones, where all sounds can be put off by that switch. i think, they still have it, and in fact more programmable.
hopefully, something similar comes to WP (at least one model), as it sometimes come very handy.

 

[Squachy]

I am a little confused...but doesn't the power button do this...as in...turns everything off?
Or you want individual components to be togglable while the device is still on?

 

[JamesPTao]

That is really unlikely. For hackers hacking video and microphone on a laptop or desktop makes more sense as it gives more info and they can voyer. Unless you represent a very important agency with high level secret conversations, who the hell would want to listen in. They would have to be awful damn bored and then the odds of it being your phone. Well you're more likely to get struck by lightning. Why such Paranoa?

 

[BarryII]

I am a little confused...but doesn't the power button do this...as in...turns everything off?
Or you want individual components to be togglable while the device is still on?

I heard that software can make the phone appear off when it's really doing other things. I want a phone that's manufactured with a switch connected to the battery so the battery will be disconnected when the switch is off. That's not what power buttons do on cell phones. Believe it or not I'm all for the government being able to spy on people but I want that done in a way that hackers can't exploit.

I want individual components to be togglable too.

 

[BarryII]

...Why such Paranoa?

It would also help prevent things like a hack that sends out spam. At least overnight it wouldn't be able to if I turn off the phone. Seems a physical switch would be cheap.

 

[AG VK]

This would be very difficult or impossible to do with modern cellphone design. You just wouldn't have the space in the frame to fit in these mechanical components. Electronic switches can be microscopic; mechanical switches have a hard lower limit.