"Our mobile phones have become the greatest spy on the planet" - quote of the day by antivirus pioneer John McAfee
John McAfee, the late antivirus pioneer, once stated that mobile phones have become the greatest spy on the planet, highlighting the aggressive encroachment of people's digital rights in the modern age. He often spoke out against civil liberties infringements and advocated for privacy, particularly in his latter years. McAfee's comments were made in the context of increased surveillance and data harvesting by tech companies and governments, and he even launched his own phone with hardware-layer security to address these concerns.
- ▪John McAfee founded McAfee Associates Inc and later disassociated himself from the company in 1994.
- ▪He made a surprise speech at DEF CON 22 in Las Vegas in 2014, focusing on privacy and the dangers of smartphone apps.
- ▪McAfee launched his own phone, the Privacy Phone, in 2018, which included hardware-layer security to protect user data.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Pro Security "Our mobile phones have become the greatest spy on the planet" - quote of the day by antivirus pioneer John McAfee Opinion By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published 14 June 2026 The late cybersecurity entrepreneur often spoke on the aggressive encroachment of people's digital rights in the modern age When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. John McAfee was widely outspoken during his life, and often railed against civil liberties infringements.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at TechRadar.