Bootleg Blackphones Banned to Protect Consumers from Danger - The UpStream

Bootleg Blackphones Banned to Protect Consumers from Danger

posted Sunday Jan 29, 2017 by Scott Ertz

Bootleg Blackphones Banned to Protect Consumers from Danger

Any time security is involved, there are certain sacrifices that must be made. For example, to prevent people from stealing your money at the ATM, you have both an identification card and a PIN that must be presented. It's not a massive inconvenience, but it does add a little annoyance to the process. The same can be said for mobile devices - if you want a truly secure phone, like a Blackphone, you are going to have to pay for it.

Some people, however, thought they would shortcut the process and, instead of buying the devices directly from Silent Circle or one of their partners, bought them on eBay. Now, if you know anything about eBay, you know that electronics that sell for far below the retail price are either used, stolen or fake - usually the latter. Obviously you do not want to purchase a fake phone that is designed for security, because you can ensure that the myriad of illicit apps and exploits will be present on that device.

Unfortunately for these buyers, that is exactly what is at stake, as the devices being sold on eBay are absolutely fraudulent. To protect consumers who have been duped by a combination of their own poor thinking and semi-crafty criminals, Silent Circle has released an update to their Silent OS, version 3.0.8, which essentially disables the device and presents a message to device owners informing them of the scam in which they've gotten involved.

While some people would be pleased to find out that the company that is being falsely represented is looking out for the safety and security of people who don't even own one of their devices, some people have gotten upset with the move. Whether they like it or not, these people own fake devices which are a danger to both the consumer and the brand, and are officially bricked.

My recommendation for future purchases of security products is to avoid the potential of being scammed and buy the product from a legit source.

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