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

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101–110 of 377 posts

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

#101
post #80

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…

I hope you have recurring donations setup for all these FOSS apps. FOSS still means that developers need to eat.

It's unbelievable that I'm getting downvoted for asking people to pay for software on a platform where a large % of users are involved with technology. No wonder opensource based businesses are dissatisfied with how they are treated.

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

#102
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you recommend a couple phones that are compatible with LOS + microg? I looked on their sites and it wasn't quite clear

LineageOS for microG supports all phones that LineageOS does. Here's a spreadsheet of the full list along with the specs of each device: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bx6RvTCEGn5zA06lW_uZ... If you want a more specific recommendation, could you provide your budget and your requirements?

No budget restrictions although I’d like the ability for Bluetooth to run in the background and not go to sleep , and ideally ip67 or ip68 water protection.

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

#103

Does anyone here have any experience with the /e/OS mentioned in the article?

I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S9 (in the US) from them. My first impression: Everything works. Apps (if it's not on their store, which is a mix of F-Droid and other APKs, it's on Aurora), Google services works without signing (MicroG), GPS works, OTA updates work (with one click).

My biggest complaint is that their App store isn't just F-Droid, and their APKs are often out of date by 1-2 weeks. My biggest compliment (besides everything just working to the point I could recommend it to a relative), is that they are active and engaged in their community, regularly reading their forum, soliciting feedback, and posting weekly updates.

https://community.e.foundation/t/week-41-development-and-tes...

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

#104
post #95

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…

Do banking applications work? I mean as in "I buy X online. It requires me to login to my bank application and press 'confirm'. I perform this sequence, and online purchase is completed. "?

What kind of purchase/checkout system works like this? I have never seen one, but if I had, I would not complete the transaction.

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

#105
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 i…

What about when the phone locks? My phone is set to autolock after 1 minute. Leaving an app open just to receive notifications seems like a waste of battery.

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

#106
post #99

What is the actual value of all this privacy invasion? Is the data even useful to anyone? Or is it just getting collected endlessly for no reason?

To the people collecting the data that can sell it, it is useful only in that someone will buy it. Once it is sold, they don't care one bit about how/where/why it is used.

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

#107
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do banking applications work? I mean as in "I buy X online. It requires me to login to my bank application and press 'confirm'. I perform this sequence, and online purchase is completed. "?

What kind of purchase/checkout system works like this? I have never seen one, but if I had, I would not complete the transaction.

amazon paysend many others do too. bank is Boursorama

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

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 i…

What about when the phone locks? My phone is set to autolock after 1 minute. Leaving an app open just to receive notifications seems like a waste of battery.

If your phone is locked you will most likely not get the notifications, it just depends on the app. I do agree it can waste battery.

It's important to remember this is only a concern on non-free apps. The FOSS apps have very low power background services that check for notifications without the app running.

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

#109
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do banking applications work? I mean as in "I buy X online. It requires me to login to my bank application and press 'confirm'. I perform this sequence, and online purchase is completed. "?

What kind of purchase/checkout system works like this? I have never seen one, but if I had, I would not complete the transaction.

Online purchases with UK bank accounts often require this. Some banks use an OAuth-style redirect instead. I think the merchants get lower rates if they enable this feature (called "3D secure") because it lowers the risk of fraud.

It's basically 2FA for online transactions, which seems very sensible to me.

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

#110
post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of purchase/checkout system works like this? I have never seen one, but if I had, I would not complete the transaction.

amazon paysend many others do too. bank is Boursorama

Is this something more popular outside of the US where credit/debit cards are not as ubiquitous?
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