As always, if there is a problem, the free market will solve it. So the answer is YES!
As you know, phones have turned into surveillance devices that track us, watch us and record us. And Big Tech, governments and hackers use this information against us.
There are two sides to this problem, the phone itself, and the carrier that you use.
I have talked many times about how insecure your phone is, but your cell phone carrier may even pose a bigger threat than your phone itself. Why is this? Because your phone is one of the primary ways that you secure all of your online accounts.
What happens, for example, if you lost your password for your Twitter account? You simply click on the “Forgot Password” link, and they will text you a reset code to your phone. Enter that code in and you have just reset your password.
But what if the person who clicked on the “Forgot Password” wasn’t you? What if someone hijacked your phone number and then went to all of your different accounts and used this method to change your passwords? Instantly, the hacker could gain access to all of your accounts.
This is called a SIM Swap attack, and it’s one of the most common ways that hackers gain access to your accounts and steal your money.
The problem is that your carrier, such as ATT, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc only care about getting a sale and moving onto the next person. And if you call in for help, they want to fix your problem as quickly as possible so they can reduce their number of employees.
This is why I switched to a new service called Efani about 6 months ago. Their service is specifically designed to protect you from this type of attack, and more.
In order to explain the threat and the solution, I interviewed Mark Kreitzman from Efani. It’s a very informative video.
As I said, I’ve been using Efani for at least 6 months, and I love it. I also know that they are in the process of adding additional services, which will be available soon. Sign up here.
Some key points…
- Works on iPhones, Android phones, and de-Goggled phones.
- This is one of the easiest things you can do to get secure. All it entails is changing your carrier, and then Efani does the rest.
- Even if you are not yet ready to get a de-Googled phone, you should do this with the phone you use now.
- Their service is $99/m. No contract. This amount is instead of your current plan with your carrier, not in addition to it.
- This price includes global roaming data for free.
- When you sign up, you will be a customer of Efani, not of Verizon or ATT, etc. So Verizon, for example, will not have any of your data.
- But you can choose which network you want your service to be on. So if the Verizon network is better in your area, you can choose the Verizon network.
- They will send you a new SIM card.
- You can call them up and add even more layers of security at no charge if you want. So, for example, in addition to the many layers of security that they employ, you can tell them that you want to add a passphrase to your account that you have to tell them verbally before they allow the phone number to be switched to a new phone.
Please let me know if you have any questions down below.
I will have Mark on again in the future to talk about any new features they introduce.
Glenn
Note: We do receive a small affiliate commission if you follow the above link, but this in no way influences our decision on whether to recommend the service or not. I use the service and I like it, so I recommend it.
15 thoughts on “Is There Such a Thing as a Secure Cell Phone Carrier?”
Can I get his services that work on an iphone? I don’t want to add more complexity in my life since I am having difficulty with the complexity of installing all the Meder recommendations so far. Would I get no benefit if I continued using my iphone with safe or black seal, or just less protection
Yes you can use an iphone. This is a very simple step that you can take. I don’t think you need the black seal service yet, just the standard service.
does this efani include consumer cellular phone service ,that is my carrier , also pay less per month , receiving SS.I don’t use wifi ,have computer for emails and browsing .Also I purchased my iphone from cc ,will I have to purchase another phone ? Not tech savvy. This service sounds great!!
When you sign up for Efani, you become a customer of Efani, not any other carrier. Then you can choose different cell tower networks to be on. I know that you can choose Verizon or ATT. I’m not sure if they have others available. You can use your existing phone.
Okay do you know about the above phone and their SIM cards/plan?
I recommend the Above Phone. Their SIM card, however, is data only. As I understand it.
I received this add I live in NSW, Australia and will this service work internationally or more to the point, will this service work in Australia.
Hi Glenn,
Thank you so much for that incredible video. Because we all use our phone for so many activities this seems to me to be a first step in gaining any privacy and security.
It was a lot to really understand in detail however I believe the fundamental point was that taking control of our sim card is quite easy and once that happens everything else can follow. I am now seeing my phone as a sophisticated computer device and making a call on it is totally a side issue. I am in Eire Europe so whenever their services are available here I will be interested, perhaps you will know before I do and can email accordingly.
Are android phones automatically de-googled phone? What precisely do you mean by a de-googled phone?
I am slowly making my way through the Privacy Action Plan. Thanks for everything Glenn
Declan
Yes, we went into a lot of detail in the video, but the short answer is, switch your carrier to Efani and you will be protected from some major forms of hacking. It’s a simple solution. I will ask Efani to comment on here to answer questions about foreign coverage.
Regarding your question about Android. No, Android = Google. Google = bad. But Android is open source, which allows developers to take the operating system and strip it of any spyware from Google. The Above Phone as well as the Calyx OS are two examples of de-Googled Android phones.
Efani sounds great. But so, I understand correctly you only deal with Verizon and ATT at this time.
As I understand it, in the USA they work primarily with the ATT and Verizon network. But again, you will be a customer of neither. You will be an Efani customer.
Glen, Enjoy your videos. Seems the bad people are figuring more and more ways to steal our information.
Am seriously considering an AbovePhone. So would I then subscribe to EFANI and buy a sim card from them?
Yes, buy a phone from Above phone and then go to Efani to purchase the SIM card.
I’m paying for my Verizon phone monthly. Will that mean I have two monthly fees if I sign up for Efani?
Hi LB. No. Your Efani payment will replace your Verizon bill. So you will be a customer of Efani, not Verizon. But you will still be able to use the Verizon cell tower network.