The latest smartphones might be cool-looking and very feature-rich – enough to make you want to buy one at any cost, but almost all those new phones you wish you can buy might also be a trap when it comes to your online privacy.

Dumbphones are the answer to some of your privacy needs. They are also known as Feature Phones in some places, which is kind of ironic in my opinion because they lack features a standard smartphone have.

In Philippines, dumbphones usually come in as Dual-SIM units, capable of handling two SIMs that can be from two very different brands. They can only do basic things – namely, sending SMS, MMS (do people seriously use this in the Philippines anymore), and utilizing GSM to make and receive calls.

But…

Did you know that some dumbphones are actually not privacy-oriented? I have recently come across a dumbphone that raises some of my red flags. I will present them as a list so you can easily look them up later if you want to.

GPRS

GPRS, a.k.a. General Packet Radio Service, is a system (2G/3G) used by mobile phones to access the internet. Nowadays replaced by LTE-TDD/FDD and HSPA+ in the Philippines.

I noticed in the unit that I was using that I cannot do anything to turn off the automatic enabling/connecting Internet connection – which is a major red flag privacy-wise. I can turn it off by enabling Flight Mode, but it was a hassle to switch Flight mode on and off when you’re in a hurry.

If you’re looking for a dumbphone and you think that’s a threat to your security model, please check your phone before purchasing.

Google

Google is a company famous for it’s search engine: Google Search. It is also one of the privacy-oriented people’s enemy when it comes to online privacy. Why did I bring Google up? While searching for available settings on my dumbphone, I came across an option called “Google Hints”, which I assume is used when accessing Google through its built-in Internet browser (which I believe any capable dumbphone has).

I believe that any mention of Google in any built-in menus in dumbphones is a huge red flag and should not be purchased when aiming for a privacy-oriented future you want to build.