Freedom Phone
About
The Freedom Phone is a smartphone intended for conservatives who wish to circumvent the supposedly strict censorship of mainstream social media sites. The phone, created by Bitcoin millionaire Erik Finman, runs on "FreedomOS" and comes pre-downloaded with conservative-leaning apps like Parler, One America News and Newsmax. The phone was promoted by several conservative media influencers on social media but criticized for being essentially a knockoff Chinese Android phone sold at an intense markup.
History
On July 14th, 2021, self-proclaimed "youngest Bitcoin billionaire" Erik Finman posted a video introducing the "Freedom Phone." The video promotes the phone's "uncensorable app store" called "PatriApp" as a way to circumvent supposed "Big Tech Censorship." The video references Facebook and Twitter's decision to ban Donald Trump after the January 6th storming of the US Capitol, to which Finman says, "Imagine if Mark Zuckerberg censored MLK or Abraham Lincoln."
Today I'm announcing the Freedom Phone.
— ERIK FINMAN (@erikfinman) July 14, 2021
This is the first major pushback on the Big Tech companies that attacked us – for just thinking different.
Complete with it's own Uncensorable App Store & Privacy Features.
We're finally taking back control. https://t.co/tOSnuxncfd pic.twitter.com/Hykp08ITCQ
Online Reaction
The phone was promoted by various conservative influencers on Twitter, such as Jack Posobiec [1] and Candace Owens. [2] Many Twitter users noticed that Owens had made her tweet promoting the Freedom Phone from an iPhone.[3]
The Daily Beast[4] quickly discovered that the Freedom Phone, which retails for $500, was actually a Chinese knockoff Android phone which retails on Alibaba for $120.
Freedom Phone appears to be a simple rebranding of a budget phone called the “Umidigi A9 Pro,” made by the Chinese tech company Umidigi. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Finman confirmed that the Freedom Phone was manufactured by Umidigi, but couldn’t say immediately which Umidigi phone it was based on.
Finman also told The Daily Beast that the markup was due to "customized hardware and improved memory." The technical specs of the phone have not been released as of July 16th, 2021.
The Daily Dot[5] conducted an interview with Matthew Hickey, co-founder of the cybersecurity firm Hacker House, who said the phone is likely much less secure than Finman advertises due to its use of processors from Taiwanese company MediaTek. "I have never encountered a secure MediaTek device in my entire life," Hickey said. "Using MediaTek for anything and expecting privacy or security is fundamentally flawed."
Search Interest
External References
[1] Twitter – @jackposobiec
[2] Twitter – @CandaceOwens
[3] Twitter – @willsommer
[4] The Daily Beast – MAGA World’s ‘Freedom Phone’ Actually Budget Chinese Phone
[5] Daily Dot – The ‘Freedom Phone’ that far-right leaders are hawking is a cheap Chinese Android--and a security nightmare
Top Comments
Talkie Toaster
Jul 16, 2021 at 12:15PM EDT
Mr. Vendetta
Jul 17, 2021 at 08:03AM EDT