Disable play services, install fdroid, install aurora store from fdroid to keep your play store apps up to date switch to ProtonMail or Tutanota, install and use newpipe from fdroid
this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2023
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Android
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These are great recommendations.
I would add mullvad VPN and biwarden password manager.
I use ProtonVPN and KeepassDX but those are both good suggestions
Get GrapheneOS back and do this. Win.
I would use Firefox Mobile over the Samsung browser. Samsung is still chromium based and Firefox puts more priority on user privacy.
If you can switch messaging and group chats to Signal or Telegram, that'd be a good move as well.
Otherwise App Tracking Protection is probably the best thing you can do for privacy.
Went to signal awhile ago, mainly because it's secure and cross platform.
Signal is bad for privacy. You need to enter your phone number and it has centralized server
I use Matrix. It requires only email and is decentralized
This is a very informative post, thanks for sharing. Although Signal is still way better than SMS and probably also closed source apps like WhatsApp, the leakage of metadata on a centralized server is a problem that needs to be addressed.
That being said, there is some evidence that Signal isn't collecting metadata based on the fact that it has published its responses to subpoenas and did not provide that information.
Firefox on Android supports ublock and noscript as well as other privacy extension. I cannot recommend it enough. Also use newpipe for YouTube. For any apps, see if you have an equivalent in f-droid and use it instead of the one from playstore.
Not sure if this makes it "private" but here is what I use:
- Firefox with extensions.
- Proton VPN, Calendar, Drive, Mail.
- Bitwarden password manager.
Exactly what I use. Lately I've been testing the Kiwi Next browser as well.
Use something like netguard to block access to the internet for apps that don't need it. It doesn't matter if your home launcher collects data if it can't send it anywhere. Netguard does take up your VPN slot so that's the downside, and one of the reasons GrapheneOS is the gold standard.
Another thing you can try is putting apps in their own profiles. Some apps can communicate with others and installing them in separate android profiles can prevent that. Also lets you use multiple instances of that app which can be useful if you have several accounts.
As for browser, I'd use either Brave (with all cryptospam disabled) or Tor browser with JavaScript disabled. Brave seems to be the only browser with decent privacy and timely security updates. Avoid using Samsung browser, it 100% spies on you.
Duckduckgo is a little more private than Google but there are even better options. I would use a SearxNG instance like search.disroot.org instead since they are usually run non profit and are not incentivized to steal your data.
For maps, check out OSMAnd, which is an open source alternative. It's a little cumbersome at first but you get used to it, I use it for everything now. You can even download maps and use it completely offline which I have found extremely useful on multiple occasions.
One last thing. Even on GrapheneOS your location can be tracked by the cellular network. This data is routinely collected and sold in most countries. Its's also used for emergency services to find you when you call. If you don't want to be tracked this way, you're better off putting your device in Airplane Mode and using WiFi only. Unfortunately there is no other work around to that. If you're on the network your location is recorded.
Yeah, I'm not trying to go full paranoia on this.
The main thing I'm worried about is Google's response to geolocation based subpoenas. That combined with the US political environment is concerning.
The second thing is the stupid advertiser tracking. That's just not cool.
Well, you asked for privacy recommendations so that's what I delivered. I wouldn't call it paranoia so much as being aware of how bad privacy has gotten. I don't think we should have to give up our right to privacy to use a smartphone.
It's pretty hard to stop Google from tracking you on Android. Play Services is deeply rooted in most Android devices and has access to pretty much everything. Also, a lot of the privacy settings don't really stop tracking, they just tell Google to stop using the data in the ads you see or showing it on your account.
You could give iPhone a try. Though it has a whole host of privacy issues as well, mainly stemming from the fact that you need to trust Apple with your data. Apple collects most of the same data that Google does including location.
I wish I didn't have to evangelise about GrapheneOS, but I just haven't found another option that eliminates most of these issues without sacrificing usability. If you find something else that works be sure to let us know.
Yeah all fair.
That's pretty much how I feel about apple. I think at this point I'm leaning towards going to Graphene OS. I used to use custom ROMs a bunch back in the CyanogenMod days.
Please have a look: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/ and special https://www.privacyguides.org/en/tools/
Check out calyxOS.
It's more user friendly than graphene. It does this by sacrificing some privacy and security but it's still pretty good.
The DDG tracking protection is unreal, I keep recommending it to people but I don't think they realise quite how much they're being tracked or they'd be jumping on it. It was insane for me to see hundreds of thousands of tracking requests denied each week. What's not to love, it's free, and stops tracking.
I've had a Pixel 7a for about a month now and loving it, alongside DuckDuckGo app tracking blocker. I was already using that on my tired ole' S9, would never have considered a google phone without that installed alongside.
How are you liking the 7a? I had a rough go with the 7 and now on an S23+. But with any Google phone, it feels like a gamble on what kind of experience you'll get.
With DuckDuckGo blocking the (egregious) tracking, and Nova launcher letting me properly customize the homescreen (there are two widgets that cannot be removed with stock launcher which was a big nuisance), it's a pretty slick handset especially for the cost. I'd have loved to have gone with an S23 but can't afford to spend that much on a phone unfortunately!
There is a good post on Lemmy about Hardening privacy on android https://lemmy.ml/post/54596
Is this a shit post, or the wrong link?
Everything from TheAnonymousJoker is a shitpost.
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