Never forget the kill switch. That's what it's there for.

Slashdot had a post about an upcoming (about 1 year out) phone that can run pretty standard Linux distros. I took interest because I'm very annoyed about how UNconfigurable android is.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S2, very old by now, but hardware wise it still works fine. Software wise, it is shit. Android apps are massively bloated compared to when the phone was new, so the "system" partition of the phone is too small to install anything other than like 1-2 apps. From what I can tell, rooting might not help because there are still standard partitioning requirements? I dunno. Anyway, it is a big mess compared to a desktop, where I can partition things any way I want (which works great if you know what you are doing).

Anyway, I don't want to shill for Purism, the company that will be making the phone in the Slashdot article (for one thing, the phone is still a year or so away from final production), but they seem to be doing things right. They DO have some laptops on the market now, which apparently include a relevant feature mentioned in the write-up about their upcoming phone: hardware kill switches for the microphone, camera, and WiFi/Bluetooth.

If you read the ToS (hah! as if) for things like Facebook's app or the phones / OS themselves, you might see that you are "agreeing" to this kind of data collectionspying. If that sets the bar for "good" behavior, imagine what the bad guys (NSA, other agencies, state actors, unscrupulous advertisers, malware producers, etc.) can and will do. That's why any software solution is dubious. That's why electrical tape over your webcam is better than assuming that the record light is trustworthy. That's why a hardware kill switch is a good feature if you're concerned about this (like me).

Here's links to:
an article about the hardware kill switches in Purism's laptops, and
an article about their upcoming phone the Librem 5

I don't own any of their hardware. I don't like paid shills. That being said, I'm interested in what they are doing.

Your video, Always have the kill switch/lanyard set up!, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Oh, just noticed that one lifeguard adds a rather pejorative set of swear words to describe the other lifeguard's decision to authorize the Zodiac going out (presumably for no good purpose and presumably, without a lanyard/kill switch)---

So, NSFW in case anyone has the volume turned up.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'motorcycle, traffic light, stunt, fall' to 'motorcycle, traffic light, stunt, fall, kill switch' - edited by calvados

Actually Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) has all your base!
They deal with ICMB prevention, space superiority, and cyberspace/telecommunication kill-switches. That's where the money goes these days, not to NASA.

>> ^vaire2ube:

no ordinance just slugs at such high velocity they destroy targets
lasers that can destroy flying objects
mechanical exoskeletons from Alien to help move cargo
the navy has all your base.

Mubarak has an internet kill switch? That's just a tinfoil conspiracy theory!

You hit the kill switch as well when your engine is running horizontally so it does not hydro lock on ya and fuck stuff up.

I like the kill switch.

MAN! If only there were an internet kill switch to stop all this bad press... I wish some "Independent" Senator would "save" me...

I mean, come on.... China has it right?

Thanks!

In reply to this comment by marinara:
*promote
btw this bill passed the commitee, will be voted on by senate next
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/56061 is a blog i did on this

>> ^Yogi:
Yeah I don't buy it. There's tons of really experienced hackers around the world...as long as the wires exist the connections are there, it'll just need to be figured out. I don't like it in any case though, hopefully the internet community will help make an alternative that can be switched on once the kill switch is flipped.


The only way they could do it is to require every internet router (I'm not talking about your home "router," but real routers) to have something in the OS that would respond to a shutdown signal. That would require every router to be updated, and would make the internet in the US more vulnerable to an attack because every enemy we have would be trying to figure out how to trigger the kill switch and shut us down.

>> ^jimnms:

Wasn't the internet designed so that in the event major cities were nuked that the internet would continue functioning? So how exactly do they plan to install a "switch" that will shut it off?


Yeah I don't buy it. There's tons of really experienced hackers around the world...as long as the wires exist the connections are there, it'll just need to be figured out. I don't like it in any case though, hopefully the internet community will help make an alternative that can be switched on once the kill switch is flipped.

>> ^Shepppard:

great, but I'd love to see this entire thing


http://fora.tv/2010/03/13/Hosts_Jamie_Hyneman_and_Adam_Savage_Talk_MythBusters#fullprogram

I blame design for mistakes more than most people. But I don't care how difficult it is to figure out the first time, if you don't know how to put your car in neutral, you should not be driving.

Also, you can't have the car shut off when you just push the power button, otherwise people would accidentally turn it off constantly. Maybe there should be the general power button, and another panic button next to it, and you have to hit both to turn it off immediately. But you can't have an unprotected one touch kill switch.>> ^braindonut:
This video is amusing, for sure... I laughed.
But the design of the Prius shifter is absolutely horrible. And with the fact that you have to hold the power button down for 3 seconds to turn it off... Also a horrible design. So his point, though amusing, is kinda moot.
Some people don't think too well when they are in a panic. I wouldn't hold it against some old lady for not interacting with her Prius correctly, given the nature of the designs she'd be working with.