Over the years people have generally become more informed about cybersecurity concerns that affect all Americans, yet one famous hacker has issued a frightening warning to all iPhone and Android users that you might not expect.
Edward Snowden is at the heart of arguably the biggest cybersecurity leak in modern US history, as in 2013 he revealed anywhere between 1.5 and 1.7 million highly classified documents from his job working for the National Security Agency (NSA).
Snowden's motivation for the substantial leak was to expose how the US government was illegally collecting data from its citizens' phones, alongside similar activity from a number of America's close allies like the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
Since then he has remained in exile in Russia and appears to continue to be under threat of prosecution from the United States government despite conversations surrounding the possibility of a pardon from President Donald Trump.
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That danger hasn't deterred Snowdon from continuing to warn people about the dangers they face in the modern technological landscape though, and one recent reveal has left many smartphone owners concerned about their daily activities.
Speaking to Joe Rogan on his podcast, Snowden explained how governments can continue to spy on you by using your phones, outlining the dangers that both Android and iPhone owners face.
"Both Apple and Android devices unfortunately are not especially good in protecting your privacy," Snowden explained, revealing that there's little you can do to prevent your activity from being observed.
"Every phone, even when the screen is off, you think it's doing nothing, but it's screaming 'here I am'. They can see everything about you. They can see everything about what your device is doing, and they can do whatever they want with your device."
This is similar to information that was recently revealed by an ex-CIA agent-turned-whistleblower, as he indicated that information agencies are capable of remotely activating microphones in just about any gadget, alongside remotely gaining control of cars and other devices.
One thing that frightens Snowden in particular about this revelation is how the world has changed in the time since he leaked the infamous NSA data, as he asserted in the interview that the world has become 'mobile first'.
While everyone had mobile phones back in 2013, we use these devices more than ever now and likely control almost every aspect of our lives on the device, from social media to banking and more.
Considering that, the fact that your device is as vulnerable to outside interference as it is should leave you both frightened and concerned, yet outside of detaching yourself from the digital world entirely, there's not much you can do to stop it from happening.