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iPhone = Privacy?

kerkour.com

11–20 of 108 posts

Re: iPhone = Privacy?

#11
post #2

> With all that information, I think it's reasonable to say that iPhones are far from private. But, as the alternatives are even worse Android smartphones are indeed worse, but it's not the only alternative. Consider GNU/Linux phones if you care about privacy and want to support it: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5 and https://pine64.org/pinephone . There are also things like /e/OS (Edit: and GrapheneOS), but they a…

And that phone also sends your IMEI and your location to the carrier. It has to enable to work.

It does only if the hardware kill switch is on. You control it. Also, it doesn't send anything else to anyone.

Re: iPhone = Privacy?

#12
post #7

> iOS sends a lot of data about your phone to Apple, such as your phone number, your unique device identifier, your location and your IMEI number Oh no! The manufacturer of my phone knows the unique identifier they created and assigned to my phone? Whatever shall I do?

Seriously? Obviously the problem isn't that they know the IMEI, it's that they now have an IMEI linked to a specific person along with your UDI, location, and phone number.

Re: iPhone = Privacy?

#13
iPhone = Not perfect but better than all comparable alternatives

Perhaps the biggest advantage of the iPhone, aside from Apple making most of their money selling real products not your data, is that every concern he had was accompanied by a setting to disable it

Re: iPhone = Privacy?

#14
Apple seems to prioritize privacy more than the competition, while for Google collecting, and combing through to monetize, your personal data is a big part of their business model.

Much of this criticism seems misplaced or invalid. Apple tracks your IMEI? Well, sure, unless you choose otherwise, and they've given you a convenient place to turn off. Apple chipsets track your location down to the meter? Well, yes, that's a feature most people enjoy - and they've given you a convenient place to turn off, if you don't. Apple is using third party app Siri interactions to train Siri? How is this even a privacy issue... has any real world privacy problem ever occurred because of this? If you don't want Apple to hear your voice or process your Siri requests... don't use Siri? They've given you a convenient place to turn it off.

The only one I agree on is the image scanning for CSAM. The idea of a device I own acting as a state informer using AI to detect what it thinks is a crime is not my idea of a step forward.

Re: iPhone = Privacy?

#15
post #6

> When you put your phone in airplane mode, you are simply telling your phone's OS to stop using the mobile network. The baseband system is still on and can be pinged by the mobile network. I just started reading and there is already a sentence I don't believe very much, even less as a generalization. Does anyone here have a basis that could explain this bold statement ?

Technically, you are only asking your software to turn the modem off. It can disobey if it wants, you can't be sure.

Re: iPhone = Privacy?

#16
post #4
post #3

No phone == privacy

There's no privacy. There's just a price tag to your private data.

privacy (prī′və-sē) [noun] - The quality or condition of being permitted to terminate pregnancies.

(This definition brought to you by Marshall's Englishish Dictionary)

Re: iPhone = Privacy?

#17
post #8
post #7

> iOS sends a lot of data about your phone to Apple, such as your phone number, your unique device identifier, your location and your IMEI number Oh no! The manufacturer of my phone knows the unique identifier they created and assigned to my phone? Whatever shall I do?

They may know IMEI, since they made the phone. But why do they have to know your phone number and location? How can I avoid that?

They 100% need the phone number for some of the base features like imessage. The location however without the "find my phone" it shouldn't have a reason, I guess it's to allow them to put on the map any apple tags you have in range. I think these tags are opt out but I'm still stuck on how Apple casually sell the biggest semi-passive stalking tool ever made.

Re: iPhone = Privacy?

#18
post #6

> When you put your phone in airplane mode, you are simply telling your phone's OS to stop using the mobile network. The baseband system is still on and can be pinged by the mobile network. I just started reading and there is already a sentence I don't believe very much, even less as a generalization. Does anyone here have a basis that could explain this bold statement ?

I think they probably mean that this switch is software-based, so turning it on does not physically disconnect the underlying hardware.

I doubt there is any proof that some kind of system activity is still taking place while in airplane mode, but that might be irrelevant.

For some people, depending on their threat model and personal preference, what's important is that it's impossible to prove beyond any doubt that this is _not_ the case.

Re: iPhone = Privacy?

#20
> Thus, anyone who has access to your iCloud account, whether it be a hacker, an Apple employee, or a government agency, has also access to that data.

Lost a lot of credibility here by including Apple employees, as that’s not a thing.

Honestly this just reads as a bunch if FUD for what appears to be no reason. There’s no new info, no new perspective, no attempt at fair explanation of why those things might actually be desirable for the customer…

Just a bunch of bad faith interpretations of how an iPhone works to try and scare or confuse the reader, and no discernible reason for why.

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