Why would journalists need a “safer” phone? Safer from what? Surveillance, of course. The incident in the article was a journalist using a satellite phone to report from a war zone. The Syrian army targeted the source of her radio emissions with a mortar attack and killed her. That example is obvious, but what about a journalist in this country trying to report on a whistle-blower? A cell phone conversation could not only be used against the journalist as an accomplice but also help identify the whistle-blower, something Edward Snowden was careful to avoid. Read more…