=====Selecting computers and phone =====

====Key points: ====
  * [[selecting_computer_phone#Computers|Computers]]
    * [[selecting_computer_phone#Which operating system|Which operating system]]
    * [[selecting_computer_phone#Hardware|Hardware]]
  * [[selecting_computer_phone#Phones|Phones]]
    * [[selecting_computer_phone#Check how long updates will be available|Check how long updates will be available]]
    * [[selecting_computer_phone#Check if the phone is locked|Check if the phone is locked]]

====Computers====
===Which operating system===
What are you familiar with?

Does it have easy full disk encryption?

The National Cyber Security Centre publishes assessments of different operating systems; you might do well to take a look through those, and see whether you are comfortable with the degree of security for the risks that you have identified.

e.g. [[https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/apple-end-user-device-security
|NCSC guidance for Apple devices]]

===Hardware===

Physical switches for various functions.

May be able to remove network cards / Wi-Fi boards if you really want to do so.

Read chapters 1 and 2 of the excellent [[http://www.tcij.org/sites/default/files/u11/InfoSec%20for%20Journalists%20V1.3.pdf|“Information Security for Journalists”]].

====Phones====
===Check how long updates will be available===
How quickly will you get security updates? For how long?

Are you stuck on an outdated version of the operating system? You might be able to install an unofficial third party firmware, but unlikely to obtain any formal customer support if you do so.

===Check if the phone is locked===
Is the phone unlocked — can you put a different network’s SIM into it. 

This is not particularly security-related, but it does give you a degree of additional control if you decide to move providers.