Purism's Librem AweSIM

Telecoms Chat ☎️
#1

Is anyone with more knowledge than me able to comment on the privacy claims Purism are making with their (USA only) SIM?

Major cellular providers are creating unified customer identifiers based on customer account information (name, address, billing information) and unique identifiers on your mobile devices so they can “identify users across multiple devices and serve them relevant advertising.

Librem AweSIM adds an extra layer of privacy to your customer data to protect you from targeted tracking. We register your phone number in our name on your behalf and keep your personal and financial data private and out of the hands of companies who would sell it to others.

https://puri.sm/products/librem-awesim/

1 Like
#2

Does that not include the Librem phone — “Unlimited cellular plan that works with the Librem 5” (subtitle at the top of the page under the phone)? As a standalone SIM that would seem suspect, but along with their own phone I can believe it… :thinking:

1 Like
#3

Some of the text implies that, but you’re also able to go through the checkout process buying just a SIM card. So :man_shrugging:

1 Like
#4

Hm, have you emailed them?

#5

Nope, not that invested in the answer. :grin:

How does SIM registration work in the case of UK MVNOs? Do you effectively create accounts for us with EE/the-next-level-up or are they unaware of exactly who your customers are?

1 Like
#6

We kindly ask our supplier to activate the given SIM! I believe some of the other MVNOs use a 3rd party billing provider as a CRM that integrates with the network, but we do that ourselves…

Beyond the usage on the network they have no idea who you are. :blush:

4 Likes
#7

That’s pleasantly surprising!

1 Like
#8

I’m inclined to believe them, but the main problem is that selling mobile location data is legal and commonplace in the US and data brokers can still easily deanonymize someone by correlating the (anonymous) location data with some other sources.

2 Likes
#9

I think it would be a step in the right direction to outlaw fingerprinting and any techniques of quantitive data mining for use in deanonymising/creating a profile of an anonymous user