A Distinguished Cryptographer Wants To Release The Ultimate, Security-Focused Smartphone To Keep You Safe From NSA Spying

Phil Zimmerman first made his mark on the security realm in 1991 when he released PGP, the most widely-used email encryption software in the world.

Today, he and his encryption company Silent Circle will help launch Blackphone, a completely security-focused smartphone that will let users protect their mobile presence and anonymize their digital activity.

The whole purpose of the Blackphone will be to protect users' privacy. Running a "security-oriented" version of Android, called PrivatOS, the Blackphone will be carrier and vendor-independent and will let users make and receive secure phone calls, exchange secure texts, transfer and store files, and video chat through a virtual private network, according to the company's announcement.

The phone is a collaboration project between Zimmerman's Silent Circle and Geeksphone, a Spanish company that released the first Firefox smartphone in early 2013.

Blackphone will be available for pre-order beginning February 24, 2014-the first day of the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, Spain. We can expect to get more information about the device then, too.

(Hat-tip to The Verge, where we first found this story.)

Check out Blackphone's intro vid: