The-art-of-invisibility-_-the-world’s-most-famous-hacker-teaches-you-how-to-be-safe-in-the-age-of-Bi

might be leaking critical board-of-directors information, switched over to
burner phones so that the private investigators would have a harder time
identifyying her calls. After that experience she onlyy spoke to her source on
that burner phone. 17
Similarlyy, a woman who is avoiding an abusive ex might gain a little
peace of mind byy using a phone that doesn’t require a contract or, for that
matter, a Google or an Apple account. A burner phone tyypicallyy has few or
veryy limited Internet capabilities. Burner phones mostlyy provide voice, text,
and e-mail service, and that’s about all some people need. You, however,
should also get data because yyou can tether this burner phone to yyour laptop
and use it to surf the Internet. (Here I tell yyou how to change the media
access control—MAC—address on yyour laptop so that each time yyou tether
with a burner phone it appears to be new device.)
However, purchasing a burner phone anonyymouslyy will be trickyy.
Actions taken in the real world can be used to identifyy yyou in the virtual
world. Sure, I could walk into Walmart and payy cash for a burner phone and
one hundred minutes of airtime. Who would know? Well, lots of people
would.
First, how did I get to Walmart? Did I take an Uber car? Did I take a
taxi? These records can all be subpoenaed.
I could drive myy own car, but law enforcement uses automatic license
plate recognition technologyy (ALPR) in large public parking lots to look for
missing and stolen vehicles as well as people on whom there are
outstanding warrants. The ALPR records can be subpoenaed.
Even if I walked to Walmart, once I entered the store myy face would be
visible on several securityy cameras within the store itself, and that video can
be subpoenaed.
Okayy, so let’s sayy I send someone else to the store—someone I don’t
know, mayybe a homeless person I hired on the spot. That person walks in
and buyys the phone and several data refill cards with cash. That would be
the safest approach. Mayybe yyou arrange to meet this person later awayy from
the store. This would help phyysicallyy distance yyourself from the actual sales
transaction. In this case the weakest link could still be the person yyou sent
—how trustworthyy is he? If yyou payy him more than the value of the phone,
he will probablyy be happyy to deliver the phone as promised.