This new privacy-focused MVNO doesn’t even want to know your name

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Credit: Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority


TL;DR

• A new MVNO called Phreeli allows you to sign up with only a ZIP code, which its founder claims is legal in all 50 states.
• It operates on T-Mobile’s network, but does not store names, addresses, or payment details.
• Founder Nicholas Merrill says the goal is to break the link between a person’s phone identity and their personal data.

If you’ve ever felt uneasy about how much your phone company knows about you, you might soon have a more private option. Nicholas Merrill is best known for fighting an FBI surveillance order for more than a decade. He has now launched Phreeli, a new mobile carrier that lets you sign up with nothing more than your ZIP code.

As Wired reports, Phreeli (pronounced like ‘freely’) runs on T-Mobile’s network, but the real headline is what it refuses to collect. The company doesn’t ask for your name, address, or any other information that could be linked to your phone number. Merrill states that the level of anonymity is legal in every US state, and the ZIP code is provided solely for tax purposes.




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