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submitted 2 days ago by lock@lemmy.ml to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

There is this carrier I stumbled upon called Cape, calls itself America's privacy first carrier.

It claims to offer privacy and security and to only store necessary information.

We don’t collect your name, social security number, address, or other personal information. Any data we do receive (like call logs) is deleted after 60 days.

We secure your account against SIM swaps—attacks to steal your phone number and access your accounts—with modern cryptography protocols.

Our proprietary signaling protection blocks attempts by bad actors to intercept calls and SMS via outdated signaling protocols like SS7.

Voicemails can hold sensitive information like 2FA codes. Cape encrypts your voicemails so only you have access to them.

We don’t collect your name or billing address at checkout, and Cape never sees your credit card details.

Anonymous sign-up

They are also partnered with Proton

Here is a detailed list of what data they collect

They are currently offering a $1.50 trial for one month.

The CEO, John Doyle, was a communications specialist in the U.S. Army and worked for Palantir.

Thoughts?

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[-] DrunkAnRoot@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

pretty sure calyx has somthing simmilar and id trust them more https://calyxinstitute.org/membership/internet

[-] nooneescapesthelaw@mander.xyz 1 points 1 day ago

I like what they're doing in terms of the anonymity when signing up, but 100/month is kinda high. Maybe in the future when they release cheaper plans (ie no unlimited internet call/text) and they get subpoenad a couple times I'll switch over

Overall pretty cool

[-] Mikelius@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

They're blocking my VPN connection... I've already got problems with this lol.

[-] besselj@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 days ago

Looks interesting, but it's the first time I've heard of them and I'm wary about the CEOs ties to palantir and the fact that its a US-based company. I'll wait for others to do some deeper research into the company first.

[-] lock@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago

Signal is also US-based and Cape is literally a carrier with coverage only in America. I found one of there employees that previously worked 9 years with DuckDuckGo and is now working with Cape.

[-] voytrekk@sopuli.xyz 5 points 2 days ago

I'm not judging them on their claims, but their cost compared to other MVNOs is insane. The extra features they add do not seem worth the $99 they want to charge.

[-] irotsoma@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago

Only because you are the product with the others, pr your information anyway. Without selling that info, they need to do a lot to make up the lost profit. Assuming this is real and not just a sting op or something.

[-] lock@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

Sadly privacy is costly. It's the only option compared to the others

[-] Far@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 days ago

lol i didn't think of that. it's so true.

[-] Luffy879@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

collect your name, social security number, address, or other personal information.

At least where I live there are laws to collect this info. Is it not regulated in Murica?

We secure your account against SIM swaps…with modern cryptography protocols.

This just dosent make ANY sense. Sim swaps are done via social engeneering.

proprietary signaling protection

If they wanted to be private, it would be Open source.

Voicemails can hold sensitive information like 2FA codes.

Since when do people send 2fa codes via voicemail? The fuck? Just use signal.

U.S. Army and worked for Palantir.

Me smell honey

Also, they DO collect your Credit card data. Not they themselves, but Stripe. So Stripe knows every detail about you.

[-] TaviRider@reddthat.com 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

We secure your account against SIM swaps…with modern cryptography protocols.

This just dosent make ANY sense. Sim swaps are done via social engeneering.

See this for details. Their tech support people do not have the access necessary to move a line so there’s nobody to social engineer. Only the customer can start the process to move a line after cryptographic authentication using BIP-39.

proprietary signaling protection

If they wanted to be private, it would be Open source.

I’m really tired of this trope in the privacy community. Open source does not mean private. Nobody is capable of reviewing the massive amount of code used by a modern system as complex as a phone operating system and cellular network. There’s no way to audit the network to know that it’s all running the reciewed open source code either.

Voicemails can hold sensitive information like 2FA codes.

Since when do people send 2fa codes via voicemail? The fuck? Just use signal.

There are many 2FA systems that offer to call your number so the system can tell you your 2FA code.

The part where I share your reaction to Cape is about identifying customers. This page goes into detail about these aspects, and it has a lot of things that are indeed better than any other carrier out there.

But it’s a long distance short of being private. They’re a “heavy MVNO”. This means their customers’ phones are still using other carriers’ cell towers, and those can still collect and log IMSI and device location information. Privacy researchers have demonstrated that it is quite easy to deanonymize someone with very little location information.

On top of that, every call or text goes to another device. If it goes through another core network, most call metadata is still collected, logged, and sold.

If we accept all of Cape’s claims, it’s significantly better than any other carrier I’m aware of, but it’s still far from what most people in this community would consider private.

[-] lock@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

The coverage is only in America, I guess it doesn't need to be collected over there

They use Digital Signatures instead of usernames and passwords. Cape employees don't port out numbers and only you can with a 24 word seedphrase you can read more about it here so I guess they are more secure compared to others.

This has to be a joke, what do you mean "just use signal" and "open source" ???

Stripe handles the actual card details, while Cape only receives the token, which cannot be mapped to your real credit card number. Stripe generates a token that is stored on cape's systems to confirm a payment has been made. Cape does not store your credit card number. Cape does not associate tokens to subscribers

[-] Thordros@hexbear.net 4 points 2 days ago

Stripe handles the actual card details, while Cape only receives the token, which cannot be mapped to your real credit card number.

Good thing the founding financiers of Stripe, Cape, and Palantir aren't the same person.

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago

Yeah I wouldn't put my dick in that.

There is perhaps an opportunity there. You can't be sure that they won't collect location information or information off your phone. But if you took precautions to make sure you were anonymous when you purchased the stuff, and the device you are using was divorced from you entirely, you just have to make sure you never ever turn it on at home. Getting a working phone number/sim without an SSN/address identification isn't nothing.

I don't trust that stripe wouldn't out you. So you'd need to protect your payment info.

I don't trust that they won't locate you or log your communication or handle your communication or location in a way that could be tracked by a powerful third party.

That said, 99 bucks a month is pretty expensive to get an unidentified sim from a company you can't necessarily trust.

[-] Prpl@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 days ago

Why do we need a Sim and number , its just a way for government to keep control and manipulate.

Time to promote a simless future.✊

[-] monovergent@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 days ago

Also the IMEI irrevocably attached to every cellular modem. Can't rotate it like a MAC address either without breaking a law or two.

[-] lock@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago

They have a special option called Obscura but it is only available via contact

One of Cape Obscura’s key features is identifier rotation. By regularly changing the identifiers your phone transmits—like IMSI, IMEI, and AdID—Cape makes it nearly impossible for trackers or malicious actors to follow your digital footprint. Source

how do esims work? can I transfer it between devices in seconds?

[-] loomy@lemy.lol 2 points 2 days ago

why does their website require javascript?

[-] lock@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

You can go on the site without javascript, but it breaks the UI

this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2025
22 points (89.3% liked)

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