Privacy phone service: Speak freely, live anonymously

Privacy advocate Nicholas Merrill, who spent a decade challenging an FBI surveillance order, has introduced a new venture, Phreeli. This startup aims to provide cellular service in the US with a focus on extreme user privacy, allowing individuals to obtain a smartphone plan without revealing extensive personal information.

Phreeli's business model is designed to be the most privacy-conscious cellular provider available. Unlike communication apps that encrypt message content or call metadata, Phreeli offers genuine anonymity by collecting minimal user data. The only required piece of information for signing up is a user's ZIP code, which is the minimum data Merrill determined is legally necessary for tax purposes.

Merrill intends for Phreeli to serve as a default for daily life, empowering users to feel secure in their normal activities. The service directly addresses the persistent issue of phone carriers knowing which devices connect to which cell towers, information often sold to data brokers or accessed by law enforcement.