Privacy will always remain a major concern among mobile device owners, and with more and more apps seemingly requiring your location in order to function properly, it can be disconcerting to consider just how readily we give offer this information up. With theories of NSA tracking smartphone owners also serving as an unnerving afterthought, it stands to reason that some might wish to take action and thanks to the Scottevest Blackout Pocket, you can apparently stop yourself from being GPS pinpointed.
The pouch claims to protect privacy instantly when your device is placed inside of it. It consists of a Faraday cage within the lining, and is designed in such a way as to appear as though it’s a pencil case.
If you had the Scottevest Blackout Pocket inside one of your jacket pockets, you could, theoretically, place your device in one pocket if you wish to stay online, and another – the Blackout Pocket – if you wish to fall under the radar.
As sinister as the allegations of NSA tracking may be, however, going to such lengths to go offline would seem more than a little extreme, particularly when there’s always the trusty, or so we thought, airplane mode readily available.
The Scottevest arrives in three different strengths, all of which are designed to cater to different levels of privacy. Again, purchasing one of these does suggest slight paranoia, but with RFID-blocking material in the lining keeping you detached from a world and a generation that is now always-on, some folks will doubtlessly find some use for it.
The Level 1 pocket is ideal for general RFID-enabled items, such as credit cards and digital passports, and for $15, claims to prevent any unscrupulous individual from slyly grabbing your details.
The Level 2 Blackout Pocket, which is designed for the smartphone owner, brigs both RFID blocking, GPS and cellular data protection. So if you want to keep your mobile device from being tracked and traced, this $30 option would seem the one for you.
The enigmatic Level 3 Blackout Pocket costs $80, and is only available to those in law enforcement, government, and "specialist organizations." Naturally, details over at the Scottevest site are scarce, but with details on what it blocks out being kept a closely-guarded secret, it’s little wonder that consumers are worried enough to be considering these rather over-zealous products in the first place.
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