iPhone Surgery for the Practically Paranoid

Explore the balance between privacy and functionality in modern smartphones through this conference talk on iPhone component removal and sensor disabling. Delve into the resilience of iPhones against component failure and learn how to leverage this to enhance privacy. Discover the construction of Apple products at the component level, examining the choices and tradeoffs available for those seeking to evade data collection. Follow along as the speakers conduct a detailed teardown of various iPhone components, including cameras, light sensors, barometers, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and NFC chips. Gain insights into post-surgical functionality, the scale of work involved, lessons learned, and potential future developments in this field. Presented by researchers from the Boston Cybernetics Institute, this talk offers a practical approach to taking control of your device's sensors and data collection capabilities.

Intro
Brief Outline
Introduction
Boston Cybernetics Institute, PBC
Problem: Privacy is difficulty with so many sensors
Privacy vs Functionality: IPod Touch Example
iPod Touch 6 Gen Sensors
Teardown: Front Camera
Teardown: Light Sensors
Teardown: Barometer
Teardown: Accelerometer, Gyroscope
Teardown: Logic Board Separation
Teardown: NFC Chip
Post Surgical Functionality: Cameras and Microphones
Post Surgical Functionality: Barometer and Accelerometer, Gyroscope
Post Surgical Functionality: Logic Board Separation
Post Surgical Functionality: NFC Chip Removal
Scale of Work
Lessons Learned
Future Work
Questions?