What are the most privacy respecting smartphones to buy, I am also looking for the one which respects your privacy the most. So far going to privacy communities esp on reddit, I often see Google Pixel + GrapheneOS being recommended.

But the thing is I don’t really trust Google with privacy, as we have seen they are last one to respect privacy. What if Google has some backdoor in the hardware that cannot be changed? And the problem with the more privacy respecting OSes for mobiles like GrapheneOS, CalyxOS etc are that they are only supported for Google pixel phones.

So I am really confused here.

    • nVZWmCa67Tq0SQkXPROP
      4·
      3 years ago

      This is interesting to hear. So research finds no presence of any backdoors on the TITAN M chips of Google pixel phones. I wanted to buy a new smartphone which is more private and so far the most private OSes are only supported for pixel phones. On a sidenote, how does the GrapheneOS compare to other OSes like the LineageOS or DivestOS?

        • nVZWmCa67Tq0SQkXPROP
          3·
          3 years ago

          Thanks. DivestOS is a fork of LineageOS. Website: https://divestos.org/

          Madaidan’s article also seems to recommend Pixel + GrapheneOS. Would there be any significant difference between Pixel 3, 4 or 5 when it comes to privacy? Asking since, Pixel 5 costs more than 4 and 3 and whether it would be worth paying an extra hundreds of dollars for the latest Pixel.

            • southerntofu
              3·
              3 years ago

              This article smells bullshit.

              Having a separate chip for some system activity is reasonable security, but what about running a libre GSM modem with some clear (hardware) limits on what it can reach in case it’s compromised (this is what Pinephone/Librem is doing)?

              Encouraging fingerprints as passwords. Worst security advice ever.

              Built-in protections automatically scan for potential threats from phone calls, text messages, emails, and links sent through apps, notifying you if there’s a potential problem. (…) The detection runs on your Pixel, and uses a privacy preserving technology called federated analytics to discover commonly-run bad apps.

              I don’t know about the details, but this smells like some really privacy-invasive tech.

    • nVZWmCa67Tq0SQkXPROP
      6·
      3 years ago

      Librem seems very expensive ranging from $1200-2000. Can’t afford that, I would want something less than $500 and if more preferably to be under $350. Would sticking to android that’s already installed and degoogling it be really enough when it comes to privacy?

        • nVZWmCa67Tq0SQkXPROP
          3·
          3 years ago

          For me it would be enough that big corps not taking my data or tracking any of my activities. With degoogling you can only decrease the amount of spying that big corps do instead of completely eliminating it?

            • nVZWmCa67Tq0SQkXPROP
              4·
              3 years ago

              Unfortunately privacy and convenience generally just don’t go together and the convenience factor along with the mentality of “nothing to hide, nothing to fear” makes people just go for the most privacy violating stuff and arguing about privacy with those who have that mindset is just not easy either.

          • southerntofu
            2·
            3 years ago

            If you remove Google Play Services and only install apps from F-Droid (which are vetted by the community and explicitly list antifeatures) you should achieve your goals. That is, assuming your system itself is not snitching on you.

            Also worth noting, phone providers are big corps doing tons of spying on their users. If you’d like to get rid of those, running your smartphone using wifi only with randomized MAC addresses (i think is default now on Android) is very reasonable.

            • nVZWmCa67Tq0SQkXPROP
              1·
              3 years ago

              Yes removing Google Play services will reduce the spying that Google does on you but the mobile company can still possibly spy on you. How do I check that my phone has a randomized MAC address or not?

              • southerntofu
                1·
                3 years ago

                The easiest way is to use the admin interface of your router to see connected devices. Turn on plane mode on your phone, then connect again. See if the device is “recognized” (with the same MAC) on your router or not.

      • erpicht
        2·
        3 years ago

        I purchased a used Pixel 3a for ~$150 last week and it works well with GrapheneOS. Since your budget is a bit higher than mine was, you could go for a newer Pixel.

        GrapheneOS places more emphasis on security than LineageOS, but the privacy provided is comparable, or so I have heard from several sources.

      • southerntofu
        1·
        3 years ago

        Pinephone is a hacker’s phone, like a beta under constant evolution. So depending on the system you use on it (which you are free to choose, that’s refreshing) you may have varied experiences like with battery life.

        However, Pinephone is much cheaper and hardware wise inspires more confidence. The modem does not have direct access to the phone’s memory (unlike most smartphones) which is like hardware security 101, and there’s ongoing R&D to develop a FLOSS driver for it.

        The question is also: would we rather financially support an enthusiast community building awesome hardware? Or a giant corp ruining our lives?

  • murky
    3·
    3 years ago

    LineageOS also supports some more obscure phones if you don’t like Google pixel phones or if you’re on a tight budget

    • southerntofu
      2·
      3 years ago

      LineageOS from what i heard stopped supporting different passphrases for partition decryption and session unlocking. Having two separate passphrases was very useful because unlocking your screen happens much more often and is therefore much more likely to be compromised (eg. recorded by CCTV).

      Still, much respect for LineageOS, but we should still consider that most smartphones (except for Librem 5 and Pinephone) don’t care for hardware architecture and firmware reach, rendering the entire phone insecure.

      • M500
        2·
        3 years ago

        This article is not really relevant. It points out that when the os is replaced by a privacy focused os like e-os then no data is sent back.

      • M500
        1·
        3 years ago

        This article is not really relevant. It points out that when the os is replaced by a privacy focused os like e-os then no data is sent back.

  • R51@lemmy.world
    3·
    1 year ago

    I hear lots of great things about Graphene but it’s only able to run on Pixel phones. I have a LineageOS installed on my phone & I have full control over the firewall, and there’s no google on it. Got the phone a year ago, battery still lasts 2 days of occasional use. It’s amazing how nice a phone feels without ads, constant upload/download, and unneeded background services running.

    Basically, and even with Graphene, the biggest security risk for a phone is the person using it. I wish it were more turn-key but the tracking with cookies is just the tip of the iceburg… apps like to track too and if you need an app outside of the free-open-source-software circle you should know how to control its access to the internet.

    • nVZWmCa67Tq0SQkXPROP
      4·
      3 years ago

      Sorry for a late reply. The grapheneOS seems to have a problem with not a very welcoming community but their OS is still good with all the security and privacy features that it comes with? If it is not Google Pixel + GrapheneOS that is the most private way of using a mobile phone then what is the most private way? I see this set up recommended in almost every privacy community including this thread.

    • GenkiFeral
      74·
      3 years ago

      can’t you stick to the OS and hardware (facts) and leave politics/opinions outta this? the community does matter if you need help, but how in the hell do they know your race, sex, or politics unless you wear them on your sleeve?

        • GenkiFeral
          62·
          3 years ago

          My rights end where yours begin and vice versa. My main point will always be “you do you” or “good fences make good neighbours” or don’t trespass on my property or in my mental space. Values differ from individual to individual - even within close-knit families or within causes. As long as you don’t infringe upon another’s freedom (I include all animals - wild and domestic), you should be able to do as you please. Both Left and Right have one thing in common - both try to shove their values (“decency”) down the throats of others. Fuck you both equally. If that (do as I say) mindset isn’t offensive, then i don’t know what is! Be as this or that as you like, but preaching to me when I don’t wanna hear it is going to breed resentment. That is you wasting my time and mental energies. Live by your own values and if I see that you are content, healthy, and successful in one manner or another, maybe I will adopt some of your ways WITHOUT your saying one word to me. Proselytizing or ‘teaching’ me is so often rude.

            • GenkiFeral
              41·
              3 years ago

              Right and wrong are relative to some extent and always have been and always will be. Who is to say the religious fundamentalist’s ‘decency’ is better or worse than (the obvious opposite) a Progressive’s? Who is sole arbiter of the truth? Shouldn’t it be more up to the individual? What ever happened to “Live and let live”?

        • Cerov2
          41·
          3 years ago

          The question is “which smartphones are most private?” Not “which OS community is the least toxic?” Seems you have your reasons for hating on Graphene, but you’ve totally lost the plot here. Save that rant for a question thats actually asking about it, please. In the end, if it works and its the most private, thats what is going to matter the most to the end user.

  • GenkiFeral
    1·
    3 years ago

    I saw a new brand of phone recently that allows you to remove the battery and also can be ordered with a choice of OSs, I think. I forget the name…sorry