--- title: Lawmakers’ smartphones and the battle of information. description: Privoro’s director of government and federal business, Michael Campbell writes about the growing threats and microphone-hijacking spyware on legislator’s smartphones constitutes a new kind of threat that requires novel thinking about information and its protection. image: https://blog.privoro.com/hubfs/Blog%20Images/GCN%20Byline%20Article%202_Blog.png --- - [Partners](https://privoro.com/find-a-partner) - [Support](https://privoro.com/support) [![Privoro Logo](https://blog.privoro.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Privoro_November2022/images/privoro-logo.png?width=238&height=113&name=privoro-logo.png "Privoro Logo")](https://privoro.com/) - Solutions - [Phones in classified spaces](https://privoro.com/solutions/secure-spaces) - [Prevent mobile surveillance](https://privoro.com/solutions/prevent-smartphone-from-listening-and-watching) - [Stop location tracking](https://privoro.com/solutions/prevent-smartphone-location-tracking) - [Prevent wireless attacks](https://privoro.com/solutions/prevent-smartphone-wireless-attacks) - [Hide from RF detection](https://privoro.com/solutions/go-dark-from-cellular-network) - Products - [SafeCase](https://privoro.com/safecase) - [Vault](https://privoro.com/vault) - [Secure Mobility Platform](https://privoro.com/fulcrum) - Industries - [Government](https://privoro.com/government) - [Enterprise](https://privoro.com/enterprise) - Company - [About Us](https://privoro.com/about-us) - [Team](https://privoro.com/team) - [Newsroom](https://privoro.com/newsroom) - [Media Kit](https://privoro.com/media-kit) - [Blog](https://blog.privoro.com/) - [Content Library](https://privoro.com/content-library) - [Advanced Mobile Threats 101](https://privoro.com/advanced-mobile-threats-101) - [Legal](https://privoro.com/legal) ![menu bars](https://blog.privoro.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Privoro_November2022/images/line-bars.svg) ![Close icon](https://blog.privoro.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Privoro_November2022/images/times.svg) - Solutions - [Phones in classified spaces](https://privoro.com/solutions/secure-spaces) - [Prevent mobile surveillance](https://privoro.com/solutions/prevent-smartphone-from-listening-and-watching) - [Stop location tracking](https://privoro.com/solutions/prevent-smartphone-location-tracking) - [Prevent wireless attacks](https://privoro.com/solutions/prevent-smartphone-wireless-attacks) - [Hide from RF detection](https://privoro.com/solutions/go-dark-from-cellular-network) - Products - [SafeCase](https://privoro.com/safecase) - [Vault](https://privoro.com/vault) - [Secure Mobility Platform](https://privoro.com/fulcrum) - Industries - [Government](https://privoro.com/government) - [Enterprise](https://privoro.com/enterprise) - Company - [About Us](https://privoro.com/about-us) - [Team](https://privoro.com/team) - [Newsroom](https://privoro.com/newsroom) - [Media Kit](https://privoro.com/media-kit) - [Blog](https://blog.privoro.com/) - [Content Library](https://privoro.com/content-library) - [Advanced Mobile Threats 101](https://privoro.com/advanced-mobile-threats-101) - [Legal](https://privoro.com/legal) - [Partners](https://privoro.com/find-a-partner) - [Support](https://privoro.com/support) - [![Linkedin](https://blog.privoro.com/hubfs/Privoro_November2022/Images/Linkedin.png)Opens a new window](https://www.linkedin.com/company/privoro) - [![Youtube](https://blog.privoro.com/hubfs/Privoro_November2022/Images/Youtube.png)Opens a new window](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKPqnNWnZoEMfKJMtwYq5vQ) - [![Twitter](https://blog.privoro.com/hubfs/Privoro_November2022/Images/Twitter.png)Opens a new window](https://twitter.com/privoro) - [![Facebook](https://blog.privoro.com/hubfs/Privoro_November2022/Images/Facebook.png)Opens a new window](https://www.facebook.com/Privoro) ![close](https://blog.privoro.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Privoro_November2022/images/cross.svg) ## Contact Have a question or inquiry? We're here to help. ![](https://blog.privoro.com/hubfs/Blog%20Images/GCN%20Byline%20Article%202_Blog.png) # Lawmakers’ smartphones and the battle of information. Published by [Michael Campbell](https://blog.privoro.com/author/michael-campbell) on Jul 24, 2019 8:36:39 AM *There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!* - a line from the 1992 film *Sneakers* The United States is currently in a soft war with the likes of China and Russia, one driven largely by information – hiding it, stealing it, leveraging it, manipulating it, framing it. The boundaries have shifted from the battlefield to civil society, from airstrikes to spyware. In this new landscape, lawmakers’ smartphones are a central front, as these devices can be [turned into spying instruments](https://www.campaignsandelections.com/campaign-insider/should-you-be-concerned-about-your-phone-becoming-a-hot-mic) by adversaries to gain closely held information that may be used to adversely influence the activities of the government. I recently explored this threat in an [article for GCN](https://gcn.com/articles/2019/07/12/microphone-phone-vulnerability.aspx). Give it a read to learn more about why smartphone-based eavesdropping against lawmakers is an attractive option for gathering critical intelligence and what can be done to mitigate this risk. [![READ THE ARTICLE](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/3419919/73632799-5e85-46b2-b4f8-87b10d09debc.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/3419919/73632799-5e85-46b2-b4f8-87b10d09debc) Tags: [Mobile Security](https://blog.privoro.com/tag/mobile-security), [SafeCase](https://blog.privoro.com/tag/safecase), [Election Security](https://blog.privoro.com/tag/election-security) [Back to Blog](https://blog.privoro.com) ## Related Articles ## [The spies in our cell networks](https://blog.privoro.com/the-spies-in-our-cell-networks) CEO walks out of nondescript office building accompanied by COLLEAGUE. CEO pulls smartphone out... [Read More](https://blog.privoro.com/the-spies-in-our-cell-networks) ## [How smartphone espionage can disrupt an election.](https://blog.privoro.com/how-mobile-espionage-can-disrupt-an-election) The mobile security of political candidates and their staff gets lost in the shuffle when... [Read More](https://blog.privoro.com/how-mobile-espionage-can-disrupt-an-election) ## [How to make your phone effectively untraceable](https://blog.privoro.com/how-to-make-your-phone-effectively-untraceable) The radios within a smartphone that facilitate tracking can’t be turned off with certainty, even... 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