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.

  • PyotrGrowpotkin
    4·
    4 years ago

    Annoys me that none of the degoogled alternatives runs on my phone (Samsung A51)

    • SirLotsaLocks
      3·
      4 years ago

      Same. I really want to use /e/os but since the phone still works I’m just going to stick to as close to ungoogled not more googled as I can get without a custom rom.

      • HiddenLayer5OP
        4·
        4 years ago

        How do you get a stock ROM to be ungoogled? On all my phones, the stock ROM won’t even let you uninstall ANY of the included Google apps.

        • SirLotsaLocks
          4·
          4 years ago

          you can’t, I just tried to do what I could to not make it worse. I haven’t signed in to a google account, I’ve disabled all google apps I can, and I only install from fdroid or if absolutely needed aurora store. If there’s more I can do I’m all ears but I really don’t think you can do much beyond that.

          • HiddenLayer5OP
            2·
            4 years ago

            Does Android let you configure the HOSTS file? If so, it might be helpful to sinkhole all known Google domains to localhost.

              • HiddenLayer5OP
                3·
                4 years ago

                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.

            • Raziel
              1·
              4 years ago

              Isn’t that what apps like NetGuard do?

    • HiddenLayer5OP
      2·
      4 years ago

      Man, that sucks…

      Wait, does Samsung even allow you to unlock the bootloader? I remember hearing something about them not letting people do that anymore.

      • PyotrGrowpotkin
        41·
        4 years ago

        I dunno, I havent tried. But I’ve seen someone on xda forums who got an unofficial lineage running. But one random guy posting a unofficial ROM isnt my definition of security :P

        • HiddenLayer5OP
          3·
          4 years ago

          Unless they simply give you the config files for building from the Lineage source repo yourself, which is certainly doable, that ROM is no longer open source.

      • Bilb!
        2·
        4 years ago

        Not the snapdragon variants sold in the US.