There's a problem with modern smartphones that isn't often discussed: their closed profile. There's a kind of "virtual divorce" between you and your device, because you can't learn more about how it works without breaking it like an egg. This is especially true for the baseband processor or modem, because the code inside it is proprietary and immune to security audits. The solution? Create a modem that runs open source firmware.
A Backdoor in Samsung Galaxy Modems
Look at your smartphone. How much do you really know about it? You might know the exact model, hardware specs, operating system and version, installed apps, and some other technical details. But the rest is kept off the radar by the manufacturer. On one hand, they don't want you to repair it, because that goes against planned obsolescence. On the other hand, you can't even directly control the (increasingly absurd) permissions that apps request. And accessing the source code in the modem's firmware is almost a dream. Last March, the Free Software Foundation published that Replicant developers found a backdoor in the modem of several Samsung Galaxy devices. While the full impact was never known, the truth is it shouldn't have been there.
Openmoko's Legacy and a New Campaign
The only exceptions to the rule were the Openmoko phones, with completely open designs, including the modem firmware. Unfortunately, Openmoko stopped making phones in 2009, but there's a new campaign led by a certain Michael Sokolov, which seeks to restore one of Openmoko's great virtues: a modem with open software, based on the chip Texas Instruments Calypso. The plan is to extract the necessary data from the Openmoko modem, adapt a quad-band function (instead of the three bands that the original phones offered), and create a prototype, which in the future could lead to a complete mobile phone free of proprietary code.
Funding and Challenges
The main obstacle for such a project is low demand. The average user's vision is reduced to authorities not having to spy on their communications in the first place, and that the duty of making devices more secure falls on manufacturers. Consequently, manufacturers have zero interest in developing smartphones with open source modems. Add to that the fact that the entire project depends on the old Texas Instruments Calypso, although it seems there's an excess of stock in China. The organizers are seeking a total of $7,500, and with 26 days left they've raised just over $500. Most of the expense will go to reverse engineering the PCB of the Openmoko GTA02 phone, and the rest is divided between components and payment to Indiegogo. The path is difficult, but I wish them all the luck in the world.
