Privacy#

Kill Switches#

Hardware kill switches physically disconnect power to certain hardware components of the device.

Kill switch locations on the edge of the phone#

Killswitch	Affected circuit
Cellular modem	Power to the M.2 modem
WLAN/Bluetooth	Power to the M.2 WiFi/Bluetooth module
Camera/microphone	Power to the camera and microphone

Note

Features may be disabled at the software level when a kill switch is in the enabled position. Conversely, it may not be possible to remove power to hardware functionality in software.

Terminology#

Due to the vernacular ambiguity of killswitch engagement, it is important that users use common terminology to describe whether or not power is being applied to hardware affected by a hardware kill switch. This section aims to converge on a common meaning.

Killswitch mode	Meaning
Active Enabled Engaged On	The killswitch is in a position that allows power to flow to the peripheral.
Inactive Disabled Disengaged Off	If the killswitch is in a position that removes power to the peripheral.

As it relates to the Librem 5 and Liberty phones:

Enabled: A kill switch is enabled when it is in the UP position, closest to the top edge of the phone, away from the SIM tray.
Disabled: A kill switch is disabled when it is in the DOWN position, closest to the bottom edge of the phone.

Lockdown mode#

When all three switches are in the disabled position, these additional features are disabled:

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) unit – GPS and other networks
Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) – accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer
Ambient light and proximity sensors

These features will be enabled if any of the switches are in the enabled position.