Is it possible to run an OS entirely off of a SD card within a phone?

[HampTheToker]

Meh, it's easier and more foolproof to just use a basic burner. It's really the only way to be sure that your sensitive data stays anonymous.

Anonymous wasn't the word I meant above, I meant secure.  The whole point of having the whole OS including the IMEI on the SD card, was to be able to encrypt it and move it around(like onto an encrypted laptops HD).  This way people could keep the entire phone encrypted.  I believe on burner phones, the IMEI can be use to exactly identify the service/account information.

...which is a dead end if you use fake info.

[aldra]

this is T&T, not BI - we don't look for the easy way.

that said, there are a whole host of other ways you can be tracked, even if you do provide fake info.

[SBTlauien]

I believe on burner phones, the IMEI can be use to exactly identify the service/account information.

...which is a dead end if you use fake info.

Yes, but it's still there, and would be perfect piece of the puzzle for prying eyes.  Hiding it would be a big security advantage.

In addition, a credit/debit card's track info could also be encrypted as well.  It could then be stored on an encrypted laptop.  This would mean that a person could have a laptop, the shell phone, a MSR reader/writer, and a blank mag stripe card, and all of the data for everything could be encrypted on the laptop.  No prying eyes could find it unless they broke the encryption.