There is a lot of disagreement about what qualifies as a "burner phone," but learning to put together a device that protects your most sensitive data from surveillance and seizure by govts and law enforcement is good, actually, so here is a guide from ACLU's Rebecca Williams:
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@evacide What is generally missing from burner phones guides is that you need to dispose of phone and SIM after making ONE phone call.
In 2025, the guide should be: do not use phone calls, use Signal (no littering of metadata). If there really are no other options for a critical situation, buy phone+SIM for cash, ideally wait until CCTV footage from store is deleted (phone or SIM can very likely be connected to the store), and throw out phone+SIM after that one call you need to make.
@evacide nice write-up. Do note that in some countries KYC (providing your real identity) is mandatory even for prepaid SIM cards. Good to prepare ahead of time if that matters in your threat model.
@evacide riotmedicine's chapter delineating all those different use-types of phones in their "mobile phone security" zine is also pretty good: https://opsec.riotmedicine.net/downloads#mobile-phone-security
@evacide riotmedicine's chapter delineating all those different use-types of phones in their "mobile phone security" zine is also pretty good: https://opsec.riotmedicine.net/downloads#mobile-phone-security
@evacide This might also be worth a mention (although anyone looking into GrapheneOS need to keep updated about the issue of possibly not being supported post Pixel9 devices, I've not looked for a few months so need to do this myself. Someone else below also mentioned CalyxOS being dropped). I've not fully read your link but will do later, thanks 👍 https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm
@evacide#CalyxOS is mentioned in there. The timing may have been bad, but they've recently issued a letter to the community that is worth a read for anyone considering CalyxOS https://calyxos.org/news/2025/08/01/a-letter-to-our-community/
@evacide I didn't see it in the article (my apologies if I missed it) but I'd also add "don't have your burner phone and your personal phone in the same place - don't carry them together."
It's easy to form conclusions when you can track an unknown phone moving in synch with a known one.
@evacide Can you still actually buy a mobile phone in a store and start making calls anonymously in the USA?
In Australia that's not legally possible. Every SIM activation requires ID.
You can get around it of course but "burner phone" is fundamentally illegal as a concept here.
@evacide
"We also explained that a fully powered-down phone should not be transmitting data to towers"
AFAIK this is not true. If you are a person of interest your phone can still be used for tracking.
This article linked below, is pretty good and includes a chapter on tracking while phones are off.
Therefore I consider the article linked above dangerously incomplete.
https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/stop-mobile-phone-tracking/
@evacide Bummer. Corp. IT blocks that site. Archive.is doesn't have it, Archive.org doesn't have it. I guess it'll wait until I get home tonight. I've been trying to get a burner, but haven't found a way yet, so I'm really interested in this.
@evacide I once randomly stumbled on YouTube upon Rob Braxman's products. Are those devices also useful? I have no clue bout him or what is stands for. I'm just curious bout privacy & security.
