Orwell-inspired clothing stops phones being hacked

UK-based clothing brand The Affair has developed a new fashion range that features technology called UnPocket, which stops any wireless signals from mobile phones, credit cards and chipped passports.

Edward Snowden’s revelations that US government has used web and mobile data to spy on its own citizens has rightly caused concern among the public, leading to comparisons with George Orwell’s dystopian Big Brother society. But how can they ensure they’re not being tracked? We recently wrote about ICLOAK a plug-and-play USB stick that enables web users to browse with privacy on any device. Now focusing on mobile devices, UK-based clothing brand The Affair has developed a new fashion range that features technology called UnPocket, which stops any wireless signals from mobile phones, credit cards and chipped passports.

Influenced by Orwell’s 1984, as well as the clasic film adaptation, the range includes items such as a shirt, jacket and chinos for both men and women. Each piece includes the UnPocket — a pouch for any hackable or readable equipment that’s made from police-grade material. When loaded with biometric passports, contactless cards and smartphones, the special metal infused fabric blocks all wifi, GPS, cell and RFID signals to take the devices totally off the grid. Location can’t be gleaned through GPS or cell tower triangulation, and thieves can’t remotely skim data from contactless cards. The UnPocket itself can be pre-ordered for GBP 18, while the clothes themselves come with an UnPocket included and start from GBP 49.

Watch the following video to see the brand’s lookbook:

It’s becoming increasingly popular to integrate tracking technology into fashion through wearables, but are there other ways to build privacy tools into clothing as well?