Nokia is gone. So is mobile security.

The recent acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft stirred up investors and Nokia fans. But, the question goes, what does it have to do with security? (Not) Surprisingly, a lot.

Working in security makes people slightly paranoid over time, that is a fact. On the one hand, without being suspicious of everything and checking all strangeness you would not get far, so that makes you extra attentive to possible security issues. On the other hand, witnessing how everything around us turns from impenetrable walls into a Swiss cheese variety when poked makes you doubt every security statement on the planet. Looking at Microsoft buying Nokia, I cannot resist putting my security hat on.

So what does the acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft bring us on a large scale of things? You remember, of course, that some governments, and in particular USA, listen to all our conversations on the Internet and collect all possible information about us, right? Okay, for those who forgot, I will remind that Microsoft, Google and Apple are on the list of companies sharing information with NSA. Just keep in mind it is likely not limited to NSA and USA, other governments are not likely to refuse the temptation.

Nokia was not on the list. And I will hazard a guess that the Finnish company refused cooperation with NSA. That means people who have the good old Nokia phones are probably more safe from surveillance compared to people with those Microsoft, Google and Apple phones. We can probably assume that it was not exciting for NSA and the like to know that (5 years ago) half of the people with mobile phones will not be under surveillance. I can imagine they were rather disappointed. I would not be surprised if they lent a hand to Microsoft in the plan to acquire Nokia or even orchestrated the whole thing.

Now, Nokia is Microsoft. What does it mean? There is no phone any longer that is not under surveillance. Think of any mobile phone, it is going to be Microsoft, Google or Apple, committed to collaborating with NSA on surveillance. There is no alternative.

We still can use our good old mobile phones, of course (and I do). Telephone networks change though, new protocols come into play, old ones are phased out. In time, the good old phones will simply stop working. And this process can be accelerated if desired. There will be no choice.

I really wonder about Blackberry now …