What Is a Faraday Bag 

And Why Police, Preppers, and Privacy Experts Don’t Go Without Them 

Phones and other devices, like tablets and key fobs, can still be tracked and accessed even when they’re supposedly “off” – a fact most people don’t realize. 

The good news? You can protect your privacy with a Faraday bag. 

These bags are lined with special shielding fabric that blocks signals such as Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and cellular networks. 

And they’re not just small pouches for phones or keys. Faraday bags come in all shapes and sizes, including laptop sleeves and duffels for larger gear. 

But can they really protect your devices? Here’s what you need to know.

What Does a Faraday Bag Do 

When you place your device inside and close the Faraday bag, the shielding fabric inside blocks all signals from getting in or out. That includes signals from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 5G networks, and even RFID used in credit cards or car keys. Basically, it creates a “dead zone” around your device. 

This idea isn’t new. It comes from a discovery made in the 1800s by a British scientist named Michael Faraday. He built a Faraday cage, which is a large metal box that could block electric fields.  

To prove it worked, he climbed inside a metal-lined room and blasted it with high-voltage electricity. Amazingly, he wasn’t hurt, and his equipment inside the room didn’t detect any electric field. That’s because the metal walls kept all the electric charges (electrons) on the outside surface of the cage in such a way that the electric field from the electric charges cancelled itself out on the inside of the cage. 

So, what’s the difference between a Faraday cage and a Faraday bag?  

A Faraday cage is often big and built into something, like a microwave oven or the walls around an MRI machine. These block outside signals to protect either the equipment or the people inside.  

On the other hand, a Faraday bag is a smaller, portable version you can carry in your pocket or backpack. It uses layers of signal-blocking materials, like a shielding fabric, to do the same job, but on a smaller scale. One thing it doesn’t block? Your phone's alarm.  This is because alarms run on the phone’s internal clock and don’t require external connectivity. 

Basically, a Faraday bag blocks external signals, not internal functions. 

 

What Is a Faraday Bag Made Of 

The key ingredient? Conductive materials, such as metal fabric. This fabric is typically made with layers of metal like copper or nickel. These metals can stop electromagnetic fields (EMF) from passing through (like armor for your phone or key fob).  

EMFs are forms of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), in the case of cell phones, tablets and other mobile electronics, these EMFs are the non-ionizing kind (which means they don’t have enough energy to break apart atoms like X-rays or gamma rays do).   

They are everywhere because we use so much wireless technology. 

There are several reasons you may want to stop EMFs, like preventing someone from tracking your location, stealing your data, or even hacking into your device without you knowing. Some people want to block EMFs because they are concerned about EMF radiation and their health. 

GoDark Faraday Bags Is a Strong Example 

One trusted example is the GoDark Faraday Bag. The exterior of the bag is made from tough, long-lasting material that resists both water and punctures. It uses a strong fabric with special coatings to help protect your devices, even in rough weather or heavy use. 

Inside the GoDark Bag, there’s a second bag. Unlike other bags on the market, GoDark Bags includes a thin interior padding, and a special protective felt liner to help keep the signal-blocking fabric from getting damaged from devices in the bag rubbing against the fabric. 

The most important part is the inner bag. That’s where real signal-blocking happens. It’s made with multiple layers of GoDark RF Shielding fabric, a special metallic shielding fabric, woven from nickel and copper in precise ratios. This powerful material blocks all wireless signals from reaching your device. 

So, when you use a Faraday bag like this, you’re not just putting your phone in a pouch; you’re putting it in an on-the-go protection that’s built with science, military-grade testing, and layers of powerful materials. 

It’s privacy and security wrapped in fabric. 

Do Faraday Bags Work 

Research supports the effectiveness of Faraday bags.  

A study published in the International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science found that early testing showed that a Faraday bag was very good at blocking signals and keeping data safe. It was tested with different wireless signals like Wi-Fi, GPS, and phone signals, and it blocked about 95% attenuation rate across many types of frequencies.¹ 

Another study from Edith Cowan University examined several commercially available Faraday bags and confirmed their ability to prevent unauthorized access to mobile devices by effectively blocking wireless signals.² 

Specifically, GoDark Faraday bags provide over 100 dB of EMF signal attenuation. What does that mean? Think of decibels (dB) as a measurement of signal blocking. The higher the number, the better. 105 dB is extremely strong, enough to stop even powerful signals from breaking through. That’s why police, preppers, and privacy experts count on them. 

GoDark bags are also designed to meet MIL-STD 188-125, a military standard made to protect electronic gear from electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). An EMP could come from something as huge as a nuclear blast or a massive solar flare.  

If a Faraday bag meets this standard, you know it’s built for real, life-or-death-level protection, not just everyday use. 

 

Why Use a Faraday Bag 

Let’s say you're trying to avoid tracking, prevent hacking, or just keep your information private. A Faraday bag gives you an easy, reliable way to do it. Once your phone, key fob, credit card, or any wireless-enabled device is inside, it can’t send or receive any signals. 

That means: 

• No calls 
• No texts 
• No GPS tracking 
• No app notifications 
• No chance of remote hacking 

Many people are genuinely concerned about how their devices can be used to monitor or exploit them. While there are privacy tools like VPNs, location settings, and airplane mode, they don’t go far enough: 

Turning off location services doesn’t guarantee your phone will stop tracking you. Some phones still connect to towers, and some carriers have even sold that data, or have been forced to give it up due to a court order. 

Using a VPN hides your IP address but usually can’t block your phone’s built-in GPS tracking. 

Airplane mode only stops your device from sending signals, not always from receiving signals, such as GPS, and storing location data to send later. 

A Faraday bag solves these gaps by fully blocking all signals: no tracking, no storing, no leaking. It’s like instantly going off-grid without turning your device off. 

 

Who Uses Them and Why You Might Too 

You don’t have to be a spy or work for the government to need one. In fact, more people use them now than ever before.  

Here's who benefits the most: 

• Military - to prevent location tracking and targeting from GPS guided rockets. 
• Law enforcement – to secure evidence at a crime scene by ensuring criminals or co-conspirators cannot remotely access and wipe a cellphone that has been seized for evidence. 
• Preppers and survivalists – to guard their electronics from a possible EMP attack (a powerful energy burst that can fry devices). 
• Schools - to completely prevent distractions, instead of lock boxes or phone-locking pouches that don’t stop wireless connections.
• Travelers and privacy-conscious people – to avoid theft of personal information from credit cards or passports that use RFID chips. 
• Journalists – to protect their sources, notes, and classified stories from being leaked or tracked. 
• Stalking victims – to prevent someone from tracing their location or getting personal data. 
• Activists and Protesters – to exercise their right to peacefully protest without fear of being identified via cell phone towers or IMSI catchers. 
• Health-Conscious Consumers – to those who are concerned about potential health risks from EMF radiation, Faraday bags will significantly reduce the EMF from their devices. 

But you don’t have to fit any special group to want better digital privacy and security. 

If you already use a phone PIN, lock your doors, or shred confidential papers, this is just another layer of protection. 

You wouldn’t leave your keys in your car or your door wide open, right? 

With a Faraday bag, you’re simply taking back control of your privacy, anytime you want. It’s your data, your choice.