I used to think that buying a second phone number was the only real way to build privacy
for my mobile phone.
Then my mind was blown by this new approach being taken by a startup app named Cloaked.
They’re reinventing the way I give out my mobile phone number and it’s extremely clever
how they do it.
Nowadays, I rarely give out the phone number that directly rings my mobile.
Now part of this is because we tend to use messaging apps for communication nowadays,
but it’s also a concerted effort on my part to build greater mobile privacy.
It’s harder to be scammed, harder to be phished and harder to get SIM swapped if my
actual phone number isn’t widely known.
Over the years, I’ve tested multiple burner phone methods including a Google Voice number,
a Hushed number and even a MySudo number but they all suffer from the same two problems:
First, I have to use an app to make calls or send and receive texts.
Normally this isn’t a big deal but sometimes it can be annoying.
Second, it’s difficult to change that number if it becomes part of a spam list or was given
to somebody you no longer want to be connected to.
You can create a new number but it might cost money and what do you do with everybody else
to whom you gave that number?
The solution to this is a technique known as two-way routing.
I’m going to demonstrate this with a new service I’ve been testing called Cloaked.
I apologize in advance for any viewers who are not US-based since, at least for now,
I’ve only seen these phone privacy features available for the US market.
Let me see if I can explain this in a way that’s easy to understand.
Instead of being assigned a static phone number that gets used for all my second number needs,
Cloaked treats phone numbers almost like disposable email aliases.
I can give out a unique phone number to every single person I meet or even to a group of
people, and Cloaked not only manages that, but via this two-way routing, makes it to
where I have complete usage and control of these numbers.
It looks like this.
When I’m asked to give out a phone number, I open the Cloaked app, tap to create a phone
number and then add either the name of the person or the company I’m giving this information
to so that I can keep track of it.
Here’s what’s interesting.
Once they call or text me, I can approve their number and it shows up under the approved
contacts tab.
These contacts, which you control and can easily add or remove, are the only ones that
can call or text you with this cloaked phone number.
And likewise, you can call or text them using that cloaked data inside or outside the app.
This is the part of Cloaked that I’ve been super-impressed with.
The approach Cloaked takes with phone numbers is unique.
See if you can follow along.
I can give out a unique phone number to every single person I meet or to a group of people,
so that when they call or text me, the Cloaked system knows that a call coming from that
phone to this unique number is meant for me.
It can ring my actual phone or I can use my default text messaging app, as long as I’ve
set that number to forward in my Cloaked settings.
But here’s where it might get interesting, or confusing for some.
Cloaked gives me a unique number to match each of the numbers I give out so it knows
that anytime my phone calls this number, they should route it through this other number
to that particular contact.
When I call them, it looks like that call is coming from my Cloaked number.
Why make it this complicated?
They do this so that I can use my phone like normal while maintaining control over who
can contact me and how.
I can remove contacts from certain phone numbers or just delete the number altogether if I
need to and start using a new one.
Imagine that you meet somebody at a networking event or on a dating app.
You want them to connect with you but maybe you’re not sure whether it’s going to
be a long-term relationship.
By giving them a unique Cloacked number, I can still call or text them from my native
phone apps - it doesn’t have to be within the Cloaked app - and they’re going to always
see the Cloaked number as mine.
The only difference is that I have the ability to delete that number with the click of a
button.
And I’m not going to use that number with anybody else, so when I do delete it, it’s
not going to mess up anything else.
Right now the Cloaked app is in open beta, so you can go check them out and give it a
try for yourself.
Cloaked also helps you create anonymous email addresses, strong passwords and everything
else you need to create online pseudonyms for privacy.
What do you think?
Do you find this as interesting as I do or do you think it’s over-complicating things?
Leave a comment below and let’s have a friendly conversation about it.