The Purism smartphone will set you back a few thousand but may be worth it to security seekers
The $499 gold-plated Trump Mobile phone isn't quite ready yet, we're told, but if you're looking for a super-secure, made-mostly-in-America smartphone, you might want to look at the Liberty phone, manufactured by Purism.
It will cost you $1,999 for the base model, which is designed around security and domestic electronics, not gee-whiz consumer features in a made-in-China package.
Purism also makes a line of laptops and desktop computers, all based on its own version of Linux, the free, open-source software that powers most of the internet and all kinds of industrial-grade operations.
Company founder Todd Weaver admits there's a small market for high-priced, slightly scaled-down computers and phones but says there's a growing number of government and business customers who are looking for devices that are designed to resist tracking, viruses, malware and other common plagues that run rampant among big-name brands.
A big part of this is sourcing most of the components from domestic suppliers. That reduces the possibility of undetected "backdoors" and other skullduggery that can allow intruders foreign and domestic to gain access to your data and track your whereabouts.
Supply chain always a challenge
For now, one modulein the Liberty phone a modemcomes from China and a wifi cardcomes from India. Everything else is domestic, the company says.
Ive been working on this for 10 years and weve done everything we possibly can to build from U.S. manufacturing, Weaver told the Wall Street Journal. There are just some parts that dont yet have a supply chain. Were gonna keep incrementing there until we can get to that point.
Weaver's plant in Carlsbad, Calif., is capable of assembling about 10,000 phones per month, although he says he hasn't quite reached that goal yet, and has sold about 100,00 altogether. Apple, by contrast, sold about 225 million in 2024.
And although Weaver doesn't point it out, he has apparently achieved something the Linux community has been pining for for decades a Linux-powered smartphone. Not surprisingly, it runs a suite of software typically used on Linux machines, including the Firefox web browser.
Weaver admits the camera is not the greatest and the screen resolution isn't the highest, but the assumption is that those seeking secure lockdowns aren't playing games on their machines or watching TikTok videos.
Office machines too
Weaver's line of desktop and laptop computers is a bit more standard in the Linux world, minus the made-in-USA focus. Pricing is comparable to similar machines from Dell and other big names, who are quite happy to install Linux on most of their boxes if you ask. There are others in the space including Tuxedo, a small German company that assembles high-security Linux laptops and is building a small but growing base in the U.S.
This story, in fact, is being typed on a Tuxedo laptop hooked to a couple of monitors and other gear. It's lightning fast, can be upgraded and modified by the consumerand its default setup complieswith European privacy standards.
There really is a world of choice out there. You just have to look for it sometimes.
Posted: 2025-06-23 00:12:35
