Japan’s “Infidelity Phone”

Hello? Moshi moshi! Can you hear me? This call is not being monitored. How's it going, eh? Pour some java into your mug and feast your eyes on that tray of delectable virtual treats. Y'know, I'm all in favour of advancing technology but occasionally it gets to be too good. Here's a good example...not that it applies to you or I, mind.

These days, the world is going crazy over smartphones, but in Japan, people who engage in extramarital relations remain faithful to a seemingly outdated mobile phone which does a great job of keeping their affairs private. It’s even been nicknamed the “uwaki keitai” or “infidelity phone”.

The Fujitsu ”F-Series” flip-phones are not coolest-looking or most feature-full mobiles you can buy in Japan, but they remain very popular thanks to some very efficient stealth privacy features that help people cheat on their partners without being caught. According to a recent article by the Wall Street Journal, not even the latest smartphones come close to the aging Fujitsu, when it comes to keeping their private business private.

Apparently, the F-Series “private mode” is a layer of invisible security that does a perfect job of hiding incoming calls and messages from contacts marked as private. The only visible signal that lets users know they’ve been contacted by one such contact is a subtle change in the color or shape of the battery or antenna icons. The changes are practically undetectable by the untrained eye, and even if someone might get suspicious, the private mode can only be turned off by a secret combination of keys, to make concealed calls, text messages and voice mail available.

So like, if anyone is having tea and a bit of crumpet on the side, this is the phone to have. I mean it's like giving all your 'bedmates' the same nickname, isn't it? That way, should you ever talk in your sleep...nudge nudge wink wink!

See ya, eh!

Bob