An estimated 2 to 3 million North Koreans have cellular phones, but the Koryolink network they run on is heavily monitored, its users are unable to access the internet and international calls all but impossible for most. And with Pyongyang continuing to tighten border security and enforce control through political purges, these rules seem unlikely to change any time soon.

But what if North Koreans could safely use mobile devices to communicate without fear of surveillance, connect to the internet to read independently produced news or even telephone loved ones overseas?