Criminal gangs in Australia are reportedly using encrypted mobile phones to evade eavesdropping and hacking by the police.

The Canadian company Phantom Secure is being linked in the media as the possible supplier of these impossible-to-decipher pieces of hardware, which are overhauled BlackBerry devices.

But criminals aren’t the only ones interested in privacy.

Given that off-the-shelf smartphones are full of leaky holes that your personal data can fall through, and government agencies are increasingly keeping tabs on us, perhaps super-secure phones are worth looking into – although the price tags are in the thousands.

Encrypted phones are heavily modified so that Internet browsing is anonymous, and emails, text messages, and phone calls are shielded from prying eyes.

Hackable features like microphones, USB ports and video cameras are also usually disabled or protected. It seems that even our electronic spy agency, the Australian Signals Directorate, cannot crack some of these kinds of devices.

BlackBerry

Blackberry has lost popularity in recent years with the rise of the iPhone and various Android devices. But it is still popular amongst the privacy conscious – and criminals, it seems.

Security has always been a key selling point for BlackBerry devices, which are easy for companies like Phantom Secure to morph into uncrackable phones.

These conversions come at a staggering cost. The price of a Phantom Blackberry, plus a year-long subscription to its data service, is upwards of $5000.

Barack Obama with the prime ministers of Britain and Denmark. The President is supposed to be a Blackberry user. Photo: Getty Images

The most famous BlackBerry user is of course US President Barack Obama, who is supposedly not allowed to use any other type of phone.

BlackBerry, which has long been the phone of choice for the US Department of Defence and NATO, is also branching out into providing secure network options for other devices, like the iPhone.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India and Indonesia have threatened to ban BlackBerry phones because they are so difficult to spy on.

GSMK CryptoPhones

The innovative Cryptophone. Photo: GSMK

German-based company GSMK also specialises in encrypted devices, which boast defence-grade security.

One of the its products, the GSMK Cryptophone G10i, features in The Fifth Estate, a movie about Wikileaks starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange. Encrypted phones from CryptoPhone Australia, a GSMK reseller, range from $3100 to $3500.

Blackphone

The Blackphone prevents your location being tracked. Photo: Blackphone

Launched in February, the new Blackphone is all about privacy.

It runs a doctored version of Android called PrivatOS, which does not keep your browser and search history and prevents your location from being tracked.

Two companies, Geeksphone and Silent Circle, have collaborated to make the smartphone, which is specifically built to keep the entire world at bay. The Blackphone can be ordered online at the much more competitive price of around $700, and will begin shipping in June.

While peace of mind is valuable, the best uncrackable phones probably aren’t worth the hefty price tag unless you have a valid reason for needing them.