Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf] • Hacker News Board

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#81

Post by mattl » Tue, Oct 12, 2021, 4:24 PM UTC

salusinarduis wrote: post #75

I use GraphineOS and LineageOS without Google Play Services. They are great and are suitable replacements for Apple and Google. - Osmand(FOSS) for maps (supports being fully offline!) - Signal and Discord for messaging (Discord is sandboxed) - Newpipe(FOSS) for Youtube - F-droid(FOSS) for my FOSS appstore - APKmirror for the few non-free apps I need - Libretorrent(FOSS) and VLC(FOSS) for watching movies - Firefox(FOS…

If you wanted to install something like WhatsApp or Lyft would it work?

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#82

Post by aboringusername » Tue, Oct 12, 2021, 4:26 PM UTC

noja wrote: post #38

Please, technical people of HN, install NetGuard on your Android phone. You will be shocked where your data goes. GDPR? Ha!

I was wondering if you could expand on your comment because I am confused. How is seeing what IP addresses an app communicates with a violation of GDPR? If I can't see the content of the data it's sending but just where it's going, that is not exactly a violation.

It's not illegal to communicate with an IP address, there could be many reasons $app sends a request via a US server.

Like a postman with an address and an envelope isn't enough to just assume a crime has been committed it works the same digitally...

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#83

Post by dont__panic » Tue, Oct 12, 2021, 4:26 PM UTC

salusinarduis wrote: post #62

I use GraphineOS and LineageOS without Google Play Services. They are great and are suitable replacements for Apple and Google. - Osmand(FOSS) for maps (supports being fully offline!) - Signal and Discord for messaging (Discord is sandboxed) - Newpipe(FOSS) for Youtube - F-droid(FOSS) for my FOSS appstore - APKmirror for the few non-free apps I need - Libretorrent(FOSS) and VLC(FOSS) for watching movies - Firefox(FOS…

Consider Fennec instead of Firefox -- I just switched yesterday, and I think the only difference is that Fennec is usually a couple of versions behind because it removes some Mozilla crapware.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#84

Post by aboringusername » Tue, Oct 12, 2021, 4:27 PM UTC

Graffur wrote: post #39

noja wrote: post #38

Please, technical people of HN, install NetGuard on your Android phone. You will be shocked where your data goes. GDPR? Ha!

Based on your comment I have installed it and enabled notifications.. immediately it told me that Facebook attempted internet access. I have 432 other apps so it will be interesting to see what else is phoning home.

> immediately it told me that Facebook attempted internet access.

I am not sure how that information is useful to you or anyone else, not trying to be snarky, but an internet app wanting internet access...is the expected behavior?

Most apps and operating systems communicate over the internet for any number of reasons, heck, apps can even check if you have internet access or not (and respond accordingly, such as caching content to send later on).

Doesn't make it weird or suspicious...

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#85

Post by codefeenix » Tue, Oct 12, 2021, 4:29 PM UTC

Copperhead advert?

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#86

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Oct 12, 2021, 4:30 PM UTC

sumtechguy wrote: post #42

eldaisfish wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

any DNS-based tool is going to tell you which IP address is being contacted, not what is sent or how much. You can certainly block domains and that will prevent some google telemetry but a DNS-based tool is not what you're looking for.

Has anyone played with adding a cert and using a squid proxy to help log what is going on?

[deleted]

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#87

Post by deft » Tue, Oct 12, 2021, 4:31 PM UTC

salusinarduis wrote: post #75

I use GraphineOS and LineageOS without Google Play Services. They are great and are suitable replacements for Apple and Google. - Osmand(FOSS) for maps (supports being fully offline!) - Signal and Discord for messaging (Discord is sandboxed) - Newpipe(FOSS) for Youtube - F-droid(FOSS) for my FOSS appstore - APKmirror for the few non-free apps I need - Libretorrent(FOSS) and VLC(FOSS) for watching movies - Firefox(FOS…

There's an app available on f-droid called Aurora Store that lets you download apks from the Play Store directly, avoiding the need for stuff like APKMirror (where you don't know where or what happens to the apk you're downloading). On desktop you can use the program Raccoon for the same.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#88

Post by dont__panic » Tue, Oct 12, 2021, 4:32 PM UTC

bennettnate5 wrote: post #67

dont__panic wrote: post #61

Does anybody know if alternatives like GrapheneOS + microG mitigate these issues? Or should I just switch back to a 2005 flip phone at this point?

It definitely helps--the vast majority of snooping comes from Google Play Services, so options like GrapheneOS + microG or CalyxOS resolve that issue quite nicely. They also have app-specific firewall abilities, so you can disable background or foreground network connectivity on any app you're suspicious of.

Thanks! I'm still using an old iPhone SE (2016) as my daily driver, but sooner or later iOS support is going to drop and I'll have to find a decent upgrade path. Considering my size, headphone jack, and fingerprint reader preferences, I think the Pixel 4a is the only device that seems viable to me on the market today... hopefully I'll still be able to pick one up in a year or two and slap GrapheneOS on it.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#89

Post by salusinarduis » Tue, Oct 12, 2021, 4:33 PM UTC

mattl wrote: post #81

salusinarduis wrote: post #75

I use GraphineOS and LineageOS without Google Play Services. They are great and are suitable replacements for Apple and Google. - Osmand(FOSS) for maps (supports being fully offline!) - Signal and Discord for messaging (Discord is sandboxed) - Newpipe(FOSS) for Youtube - F-droid(FOSS) for my FOSS appstore - APKmirror for the few non-free apps I need - Libretorrent(FOSS) and VLC(FOSS) for watching movies - Firefox(FOS…

If you wanted to install something like WhatsApp or Lyft would it work?

Yes they will work, however to get notifications when the apps are closed you would need to have to some form of Google Play Services. I suggest MicroG if you are intending to do this since it seems to be the least invasive.

In my personal case though, I would still not use MicroG, and would just leave the app open until I am done using it. This is easier on Android because apps are not suspended in the same manner iOS apps are.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#90

Post by salusinarduis » Tue, Oct 12, 2021, 4:35 PM UTC

dont__panic wrote: post #83

salusinarduis wrote: post #62

I use GraphineOS and LineageOS without Google Play Services. They are great and are suitable replacements for Apple and Google. - Osmand(FOSS) for maps (supports being fully offline!) - Signal and Discord for messaging (Discord is sandboxed) - Newpipe(FOSS) for Youtube - F-droid(FOSS) for my FOSS appstore - APKmirror for the few non-free apps I need - Libretorrent(FOSS) and VLC(FOSS) for watching movies - Firefox(FOS…

Consider Fennec instead of Firefox -- I just switched yesterday, and I think the only difference is that Fennec is usually a couple of versions behind because it removes some Mozilla crapware.

Does it support extensions? I can't go anywhere without uBlock Origin :D