The world of digital communications is filled with centralised points of failure and surveillance tech at every corner. When it comes to an email, we have privacy options, or the extreme option would be to run a mail server of your own. When it comes to instant messaging there are privacy tools that range in how robust they are from your normie privacy with Signal to more robust solutions like running your own Matrix server.
But when it comes to phone numbers, you’re not exactly spoilt for choice; in many countries, they are also tied to your ID and getting a burner phone number might not be as simple as you think. If you’re looking to get another phone number, either for personal privacy, to keep your business and personal phone number separate or to have a burner phone you use to sign up for services or to only communicate with certain people, then an eSim is a great option.
Services like Silent Link offer users a global mobile 4G/5G Internet access and burner phone numbers instantly and privately on any modern eSIM-compatible smartphone. The service runs on a pay-as-you-go system and offers international roaming in 200+ countries, perfect for the digital nomad.
Who can use Silent Link?
If you have a modern smartphone, like iPhone XR/XS, Pixel 3 or newer, check if it supports eSim Technology. You can check your device instructions or do a quick search online to check for compatibility. If that is the case, then you can instantly connect it to the Silent Link Global Mobile Data network that will provide you with fast and reliable mobile data access in almost any country of the world without any identity verification.
No standing in a queue, no SIM cards, no papers required, no doxing yourself, and you should be online in minutes.
The service is completely private and gathers no user data whatsoever. With IDENTITY plans, you get a US (+1) or the UK (+44) phone number for SMS that can be used for messenger registration, etc. More country codes will be available in future. Incoming calls are also allowed to perform voice call activation. Using a foreign number is much better for your privacy than using a local service.
Silent Links services do not include legacy GSM voice calls unless the opposite is explicitly stated. Their Internet gateways are in Europe and Israel. Hence you can enjoy unrestricted Internet access in countries that are blocking free access to the Net.
Before you use their service, make sure you check their rates and top up your account based on your needs.
What is the cost involved in Silent Link
Depending on the package you choose, there will be a recurring fee that is taken off your balance each year to maintain the connection, and then you would have to pay for the data you use to either make calls, SMS or access the internet.
To purchase an eSim from Silent Link you can pay in Bitcoin or via the Lightning network. If you do use bitcoin on the base layer, make sure you’re using an address not tied to your identity or use a CoinJoin as you pay the address.
Alternatively, you can the Lightning Network if you don’t want to go through all that hassle or would like a quicker settlement of your order.
Add more security with Silent Link
With Anonymous eSIM, your actual mobile number is not known to your local mobile network provider, as you are in roaming. Therefore, your adversary cannot collude with your local mobile network provider to run various attacks, that are easy with ordinary mobile subscribers, such as:
- SimToolKit attack. Using a special service SMS and a secret Ki key attacker can control the subscriber’s SIM card (or eSIM chip) and, using a special surveillance interface built into every GSM phone, eavesdrop on the subscriber during calls or standby.
- Monitor subscriber’s location
- Log subscriber’s calls, messages and data sessions
Last but not least, your identity is not linked to the geographical point of purchase of a physical SIM card
Regarding network privacy, we will never block Tor (or alternatives).
How can I check my balance or phone N=number?
Once you have the eSim installed on your phone, use the USSD menu found when you dial *187#
Limitations of the Silent Link eSim
Since Silent Links eSIMs are burner sims, they are for one-time use only; you cannot reinstall your eSIM to another phone. If you move to another device, you need to purchase another eSIM and contact us to have your balance and number (if you have one) moved to the new eSIM.
If you use an IDENTITY plan, you should get a new NO NUMBER eSIM.
Coverage limitations
If you’re running a Silent Link eSim on your smartphone, you might find it difficult to access the Internet in areas with limited mobile coverage or no coverage at all. In instances like this, you can try switching locations and make sure you have enough signal bars to connect to 3G or 4G/LTE.
Alternatively, you can also try to change the carrier manually. If you are in good coverage and have tried everything else, you can always try a full power-down restart and see if that helps.
When in doubt, switch it on and off, am I right?
How Silent Link stacks up
If you would like a more detailed review of Silent Link then we recommend checking out this video by Techlore.
Get the app
There you have it, another privacy tool you can use to keep your identity hidden when you need to make contact with friends and family or if you want a number to use specifically to sign up for certain services or stalk your ex.
If you’d like to learn more about the app or give it a try, check out the links below.
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