Burner phones aren’t just for spies and TV villains. If you’re especially privacy-conscious, want to keep your work and personal life separate, or need to protect your identity in order to seek sensitive health care, for example, a phone that’s not tied to your identity and location could be useful.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga recently wrote about burner phones for Wired. He told Texas Standard that keeping a phone truly private requires a lot of thought and careful planning.
Highlights from this segment:
– To be sure a phone you purchase isn’t connected to you, purchase it in a store, using cash. Such a phone won’t include a monthly data plan, and you can get a simple flip phone for as little as $20, though many smartphone options are also available.
– Apps from Facebook, Amazon and Google will track your location, so be aware when using them on a burner phone, especially with accounts bearing your true name.
– To further protect your identity, use encrypted apps like Signal or Telegram for messaging, and don’t join unsecured wifi networks.
