愛德華•斯諾登資料圖
Edward Snowden has helped design a mobile phone case called the “introspection engine” that, he claims, will show when a smartphone is transmitting information that could be monitored.
愛德華•斯諾登參與設(shè)計了一個手機保護殼,稱為“反監(jiān)聽裝置”,他聲稱可以監(jiān)測到智能手機是否在傳輸可能被監(jiān)聽的信息。
Presenting via video link to event at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Snowden and co-designer Andrew “Bunnie” Huang showed how the device connects to a phone’s different radio transmitters, showing its owner knows when a cellular, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection is being used to share or receive data.
在馬薩諸塞州劍橋市的麻省理工學(xué)院媒體實驗室里,斯諾登和他的合作伙伴Andrew“Bunnie” Huang通過視頻鏈接進行了演示,向手機用戶展示該裝置如何連接到手機的不同無線電發(fā)射器,該設(shè)備會向用戶顯示手機是否在使用蜂窩技術(shù),Wi-Fi或藍牙設(shè)備連接分享或接收數(shù)據(jù)。
Initial mockups of the introspection engine show a small, monochromatic display built into its casing shows whether the phone is “dark”, or whether it is transmitting, and it also can supply an iPhone with extra battery power and cover the rear-facing camera.
反監(jiān)聽裝置的初始模型是植入手機保護套的一個小小的單色顯示器,它能夠顯示手機是否被“黑”,或是否在傳送信息,它還可以為蘋果手機提供額外的電力,并蓋住蘋果手機的后置攝像頭。
It could be developed to act as a sort of “kill switch” that would disconnect a phone’s power supply when it detects that a radio is transmitting data after its owner has attempted to turn it off.
該裝置可以成為一種“切斷開關(guān)”,如果檢測到無線電數(shù)據(jù)傳送,在用戶試圖將手機關(guān)閉后,它就會斷開手機的電源。
The device is an academic project and nowhere near ready for the mass market, but could still influence how consumers view the “tracking devices” – otherwise known as smartphones that they rely on every day.
該裝置是一個學(xué)術(shù)項目,還沒有量產(chǎn)上市的準(zhǔn)備,但仍可能影響消費者如何看待“跟蹤設(shè)備”——或者說就是他們每天依賴的智能手機。
“If you have a phone in your pocket that’s turned on, a long-lived record of your movements has been created,” Snowden said. “As a result of the way the cell network functions your device is constantly shouting into the air by means of radio signals a unique identity that validates you to the phone company. And this unique identity is not only saved by that phone company, but it can also be observed as it travels over the air by independent, even more dangerous third parties.”
斯諾登說:“如果你的口袋里有一個開著的手機,那么它就創(chuàng)建了一個有關(guān)你的活動的長久記錄。由于手機網(wǎng)絡(luò)運作的方式,你的手機不斷以無線電信號的方式向空中發(fā)射一種特殊的身份信息,這種信息將向電話公司確認(rèn)你的身份。而這個獨特的身份信息不僅會被該電話公司保存,還會在空中傳送的過程中被獨立個體、甚至是更危險的第三方監(jiān)測到。”
Most smartphones disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular transmission when in airplane mode, but Snowden and Huang say that can’t be trusted.
大多數(shù)智能手機在飛行模式下禁用Wi-Fi,藍牙和蜂窩傳輸,但斯諾登和Huang表示這不可信任。
iPhone防監(jiān)聽設(shè)備設(shè)想圖
“Malware packages, peddled by hackers at a price accessible by private individuals, can activate radios without any indication from the user interface,” they write in their paper on the device. “Trusting a phone that has been hacked to go into airplane mode is like trusting a drunk person to judge if they are sober enough to drive.”
他們在有關(guān)該裝置的文件中寫到:“黑客兜售的惡意軟件包,其價格平易近人,可以在用戶界面沒有任何指示的情況下激活無線電信號。相信一個已經(jīng)被黑客攻擊的手機進入了飛行模式,就像相信一個醉酒的人去判斷自己是否足夠清醒到可以開車。”
The project is an extension of Snowden’s work to inform the public about the surveillance capabilities available to governments around the world. In June 2013 he revealed information about mass surveillance programs from the National Security Agency, where he was a contractor.
斯諾登要告知公眾關(guān)于世界各地政府的監(jiān)視能力,該項目是對此的延伸。2013年6月,斯諾登揭露了美國國家安全局的大規(guī)模監(jiān)視活動,他曾是那里的一名雇員。
In addition to educating people about security risks, he now wants to help citizens defend themselves – if the introspection engine ever becomes a reality.
除了對人們進行安全風(fēng)險教育,他現(xiàn)在想幫助公民保護自己——如果這個反監(jiān)聽裝置能夠成為現(xiàn)實的話。
Snowden and Huang say there’s no guarantee the device will ever be more than a mockup. “Over the coming year, we hope to prototype and verify the introspection engine’s abilities,” they write. “As the project is run largely through volunteer efforts on a shoestring budget, it will proceed at a pace reflecting the practical limitations of donated time.” If they do receive the proper funding, they could release the device in partnership with the Freedom of the Press Foundation media advocacy group.
斯諾登和Huang表示,不能保證該裝置會不會只是一個實物模型。他們寫道:“在未來的一年中,我們希望做出該反監(jiān)聽裝置的樣機并驗證其能力。由于該項目的運作主要依靠志愿者的工作且預(yù)算有限,其進展速度受到志愿時長的限制。”如果得到適當(dāng)?shù)馁Y金援助,他們可以與自由出版基金會的媒體宣傳組合作,將該裝置投放到市場。
Snowden said the introspection engine was designed to help protect journalists. “One good journalist in the right place at the right time can change history. One good journalist can move the needle in the context of an election. One well-placed journalist can influence the outcome of a war,” he said.
斯諾登說,設(shè)計該反監(jiān)視裝置的目的是保護記者。他說:“在正確的時間和地點,一位優(yōu)秀的記者可以改變歷史。在選舉的過程中,一位正直的記者可以對選舉結(jié)果產(chǎn)生影響。在戰(zhàn)爭中,一位有能力的記者可以影響戰(zhàn)爭的結(jié)果,“
“This makes them a target, and increasingly the tools of their trade [are] being used against them. Our technology is beginning to betray us not just as individuals but as classes of workers, particularly those who are putting a lot on the line in the public interest.”
“這使記者們成為目標(biāo),而且記者的職業(yè)工具也越來越被用來對付他們自身。我們的技術(shù)已經(jīng)開始背叛我們,不僅背叛個人,而且背叛工人階層,特別是那些為了公眾利益、在通話中透露大量信息的人。”
Snowden and Huang are concentrating on working with Apple’s iPhone, but also said the device could be modified to work on other smartphones. Apple has not responded to a request for comment.
斯諾登和Huang專注于研究在蘋果公司的手機上使用該裝置,但他們也表示該裝置可以改裝后在其他智能手機上運行。蘋果公司尚未對此置評。