I’m most used to LineageOS but I keep hearing people on Reddit /r/privacy say it has privacy problems, while other people here recommend /e/OS as a good alternative. Assuming I don’t install gapps (Google apps) on either or I use MicroG, how do they compare in terms of privacy? Which one is more privacy friendly?
Last I heard, Lineage uses a lot of source code directly from the AOSP, which still uses Google’s online services and telemetry despite being open source, but someone else said something about /e/ also pinging back to Google at some point, despite it advertising as being de-googled. If anyone can give me links to research further on either of these topics, I’d appreciate that too.
Does Android let you configure the HOSTS file? If so, it might be helpful to sinkhole all known Google domains to localhost.
I’d have to look into it but that’s an interesting idea
However, I did hear that the official Google app (and some other apps) will try to connect over the local network to another device, and send data out that way. I don’t know how it works or if disabling all the Google apps will stop it, but it might be worth looking into.
This advice mainly relates to VPNs and how you should disable local network access when using them for maximum protection, but it’s also relevant to degoogling your phone. Actually, disabling or sinkholing local network access should stop it.
Isn’t that what apps like NetGuard do?