No SIM? No Problem!

Your phone is more than just a communication tool; it’s a powerful tracking device, and the SIM card inside is a key reason why.

I don’t actually have a SIM card in any of my phones, and in this video I’ll explain the reasons why.

I’ll also talk about alternative ways that you can still have connectivity on the go without a SIM in your phone, and I’ll dive into the downsides of not having a SIM in your phone.

00:00 Your Phone is a Tracking Tool
01:12 What is a SIM
01:44 Location Tracking
02:36 Covert Data Transmission
06:35 Split Tunneling
08:40 Internet-Only Phones
10:52 Mobile Hotpots
11:28 Benefits of Siloing SIM on a Separate Device
14:28 Calyx Hotspots
16:33 Downsides
18:36 Support the Calyx Institute
20:30 Summary

Having a SIM card in your phone has a lot of privacy downsides. But not having a SIM in your phone definitely has tradeoffs. You’ll have to assess whether this is something that’s right for your life.

Special Thanks to Nick Merrill and David Allan Burgess for lending their time and expertise!

You can learn more about Calyx here:

Thanks to the Mysk team for their important research

Brought to you by NBTV team members: Lee Rennie, Cube Boy, Sam Ettaro, Will Sandoval and Naomi Brockwell

To support NBTV, visit:
(tax-deductible in the US)

Visit our shop!

Our eBook "Beginner's Introduction To Privacy:

Beware of scammers, I will never give you a phone number or reach out to you with investment advice. I do not give investment advice.

Visit the NBTV website:

Watch this video on LBRY!
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Here are a bunch of products I like and use. Using these links helps support the channel and future videos!

Recommended Books:

Beginner's Introduction To Privacy - Naomi Brockwell

Permanent Record - Edward Snowden

What has the government done to our money - Rothbard

Extreme Privacy - Michael Bazzel (The best privacy book I've ever read)

No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State - Glenn Greenwald

Some of my favorite products to help protect your privacy!

Faraday bag (signal stopping, to protect your fob, credit card, computer, and phone)

Data Blocker (if you're charging your phone in an unknown port, use this so that no data is transferred)

Camera tape (electrical tape is the best tape for covering phone and computer cameras)

USB-C to ethernet adapter:

Privacy Screens (use your phone and computer in public? Keep your information safe!)

Computer: (Search for the size right for your computer)

Phone: (Search for the size for your phone, decide whether you want glass or plastic!)

[danielmahoney]

I remember a time when I used to not even walk around with a cell phone. Life was actually not difficult back then.

[jimturpin]

For starters, this video missed the privacy target by miles. Second, just for the record, I am a telecommunications engineer, working in this field for 43 years, I design, build and write the software for systems that test telecommunications equipment, so I have a very good grasp how it all works. So lets say forget the SIM card and lets use Wifi as you suggested, or Bluetooth, or some other wireless protocol. The moment your phone transmits ANYTHING using any of those technologies within the range of another phone, your phone just revealed its location to the entire world, if that other phone happens to be reporting what it heard. It already knows its GPS location, so clearly you must be pretty darn close to it. Likewise, it can monitor your communications and acquire your very unique MAC address of either your WIFI or Bluetooth (if it isn't rotated randomly) or if you use the NFC feature of your phone, or the Ultrabroadband feature, and additionally, a lot of phones can and do report to their manufacturer for updates and they can pull logs of whatever they feel is important, and likewise tell it to create logs of whatever they want to know. So are you wearing a bag over your head so cameras can't see your face, or covering your license plate so cameras along the roads can't track your car? What about your wireless bluetooth keyboard or mouse you use with your computer at home, its singing to every phone around you, and not all wireless devices encrypt their communications with the other end. Removing the SIM is just the tip of the iceberg of what can be done to remain anonymous. In this day and age, every phone (and mobile hotspot) out there can be potentially spying on you, even if you are careful with your phone. But as far as the SIM you got a lot of that right, depending on the SIM.

[peterm.eggers]

The SIM is your cell network ID. The phone has its own ID and that can also be tracked. The SIM is just for account and billing purposes. The phone with its unique ID is tracked by the NSA in addition to the SIM or account ID.

[JohnEltin]

YOU had it easy!😮 In Ireland we opened the window and shouted. If you didn't pay your bill Irish Telecom came and nailed the window SHUT!!😢 🇮🇪

[rosslyn]

I remember when (1960's) to make a call you had to walk down the hill to the phone box and to speak to relatives in Australia you had to book a call and fill the telephone with cash before pressing button A. How things have evolved during my lifetime. Just a gentle stroll down memory lane.

[rubenvd]

I'm sorry, but every phone without a SIM still continuously triangulates and connects to cell towers. With this, your IMEI is sent. This is why you can call 911 without a SIM. For a corporation or state actor that wants to surveil you, it wouldn't make a big difference.

[zikemdg]

That's why the battery doesn't come out anymore, the phone can still observe you even when powered off.

[Emancipatriot]

I’ve never even heard of this siloing idea. A brilliant mind had to come up with this. It’s pretty sad all the hoops we need to jump through just because we want to use the internet anonymously. Thanks for the informative video, as always.

[JosiahR]

I’d love to see you do a ‘phone set up’ video for both IOS and Android. How how to set up, get apps/disable apps, and make the popular devices as private as possible from start to finish

[jstanovic]

I am an atty. "Location tracking" saved my client from false accusations by a former spouse who was involved in a custody matter. She accused him of threatening her when he was miles away. Luckily i was able to convince the detective to go to the big box store where he was shopping at the time. The store security video had him standing in the cashier line. Without the cell "location tracking" the detective wouldn't have gone to the effort.

[itsasecret]

I've been an advocate of airplane mode & turning off location services for a while now. I'm glad to know there are services to fill in gaps of coverage I've experienced in the past. Thanks for the positive information you've provided to the community Naomi.
I'll definitely look into supporting this cause once I'm back on my feet proper. Privacy should be a right, not a condition.

[blackhorseteck]

I worked in Telco a decade ago and at the time our tracking was so accurate that we could pinpoint a customer's location in the exact apartment in a building for troubleshooting purposes. And where I come from we have to keep these records for 6 months.

[freddyrivera]

Just a note if anyone wants to be in private don't use any comunication system, before internet and before cel phones, the old phones and even paid phones in street corner were track down to date and time of used, nowadays once the phone is on its track with or without sim, its the unit itself not the service

[shroom]

I can confirm with a RF signal monitor while my phone is in Aeroplane mode while travelling it will still covertly ping cell towers without my knowledge.

[dozerblade]

I use a Faraday phone case, I can put it in the front pocket and it works normally, if I put it in the rear pocket, the Faraday screen is in action and blocks any tracking and calls etc. you choose what info you release.

[jimcabezola]

What!?! This "siloing" business is EXACTLY what I've always wanted. Hadn't a clue that was possible, much less available. I use a Pixel 6a with GrapheneOS (Mahalo for that tip, btw.). With your video, I could really see myself using this Calyx hotspot AND change from the GrapheneOS ROM to the CalyxOS ROM on my Pixel. I HATE phone calls and messages, but I find mobile DATA very useful. Mahalo for yet another great idea. I don't travel as much as you do, but I may start doing that with a mobile hotspot. Aloha.

[adro]

Naomi, you are our privacy fairy godmother. Thank you for your tireless work to educate us!

[Kirbygal]

This is great. Thank you for explaining this so clearly. I am an oldie and find it all a bit overwhelming at times.

[robinhooper]

I'm in Canada and I'm most certainly going to look into this. Thanks Naomi. That was presented very well. Thanks again.

[bobm]

I use two phones - one is just a simple phone which contains my sim card, for making phone calls. The other I use just like a computer, along with a hot spot, to access the internet - mostly to check emails, and access my bank account.