Edward Snowden just launched an app that turns any Android device into a remote security camera
The National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden and activist against digital surveillance created his own security and surveillance system.
It’s an open-source app designed to use a phone’s hardware into a full surveillance system and has been called Haven that aims to protect laptops from physical tampering.
This app uses all of the device’s capabilities to protect against attacks big and small. It records video, sound, vibration, and detects motion and changes in light, and effectively turns a spare Android smartphone into a watchdog device that can be placed just about anywhere.
The app was developed by The Guardian Project, Freedom of the Press and Snowden to offer eyes and ears to prevent, or at least increase awareness, of whether a device has been tampered with.
Haven only works with Android devices for now. The project’s website notes that iOS support is a hope for the future, but for now, the best you can do is use your Apple device to receive alerts from the app.
According to media, this apps help for those who feel at risk of targeted attacks it is useful as a line of defense against vandalism and violence, and since you can stick a smartphone in so many places, it’s something of a failsafe that can catch people in the act without them knowing it.
The user can choose between placing the device in a strategic location to record the point that you want to monitor or simply leave the device in a discrete position to record the audio. Later, it will be possible to access the stored content remotely or from the app itself.
A journalist Micah Lee who helped develop the app along with Snowden said it could be used to prevent so-called “evil maid” attacks, in which an intruder attempts to physically tamper with a machine.