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

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

#181

Post by CountDrewku »

pessimizer wrote: post #159
CountDrewku wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I think you just handed them that information when you logged into their website. Obviously and that's my point. You are not going to avoid Google if you use the web. The best you can do is limit exposure. >Google is adversarial then don't use Gmail This is ignorant and unhelpful. Do you think I just decided not to consider that option? I don't have an option. I have to use it for work. This is the problem with the…

> Obviously and that's my point. You are not going to avoid Google if you use the web. The best you can do is limit exposure. That couldn't have been your point. It's very easy to avoid having a gmail account. > This is ignorant and unhelpful. People here don't know you personally, or your needs. Most people don't need gmail for work. If your job requires you to use google products, it's going to be difficult for you…

>That couldn't have been your point. It's very easy to avoid having a gmail account.

Did you miss the part where I told you we have Google Workspace (GSuite) and I have to use it for work? What part of getting rid of that is easy? I cannot stop using it end of story.

>People here don't know you personally, or your needs. Most people don't need gmail for work.

I feel like you're not aware of the fact that Gmail is used in corporate environments through Google Workspace. You need to research before spouting off stuff that's obviously misinformed. It's a direct competitor to Office 365 and MS Outlook servers.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/07/google-g-suite-passes-6-mill...

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

#182

Post by commoner »

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.

Nowadays, Fennec F-Droid is usually on the same version as the release channel of Firefox, or at most a version behind for a week or so.

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.mozilla.fennec_fdroid/

Fennec also lets you install any add-on from addons.mozilla.org through a tedious process,* which is still an improvement over Firefox release/beta on Android. The only channel of Firefox that supports this process on Android is the nightly channel.

* https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extensio...

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

#183

Post by 1vuio0pswjnm7 »

commoner wrote: post #166
cookiengineer wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically, the Internet Connectivity Check on LineageOS also sends your position/IP to Google, and also avoids a VPN tunnel because it's lower down the stack. I can recommend LineageOS, however be aware that lots of malware infected builds have made it to xda dev in the past, so you should build it yourself if possible (or use the official downloads). Regarding the Connectivity Check: You can add all google related…

Some Android flavors, including /e/[1] and GrapheneOS,[2] don't use Google servers for the internet connectivity check by default. [1] https://gitlab.e.foundation/e/backlog/-/issues/268#note_1809... [2] https://grapheneos.org/faq#default-connections

Looking through the GrapheneOS source, the servers may not be Google servers but the system is still designed to phone home. As such, have they solved the problem or is this just another case of "Dont' trust them, trust us instead."

Has anyone succeeded in running multiboot on "smartphone" hardware, i.e., where the user can boot into a choice of kernel/userland. One choice might be Android, another might be GrapheneOS/LineageOS, another might be an OS that does not rely on any third parties whatsoever (no conveniences, "app stores", "connectivity checks", etc.) and is fully controlled by the user. In other words, the third choice lets the pocket-sized computer be used more like a pre-smartphone era desktop/laptop OS. Basic functionality.

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

#184

Post by dyndos »

1vuio0pswjnm7 wrote: post #183
commoner wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some Android flavors, including /e/[1] and GrapheneOS,[2] don't use Google servers for the internet connectivity check by default. [1] https://gitlab.e.foundation/e/backlog/-/issues/268#note_1809... [2] https://grapheneos.org/faq#default-connections

Looking through the GrapheneOS source, the servers may not be Google servers but the system is still designed to phone home. As such, have they solved the problem or is this just another case of "Dont' trust them, trust us instead." Has anyone succeeded in running multiboot on "smartphone" hardware, i.e., where the user can boot into a choice of kernel/userland. One choice might be Android, another might be GrapheneO…

Did you actually find any examples of GrapheneOS phoning home?

GrapheneOS doesn't rely on any third-parties I'm aware of. The only service provided is over-the-air security updates. It doesn't even come with an app store (although you can install F-Droid).

For that reason, GrapheneOS alone fits all three categories you mentioned: It is Android, it is GrapheneOS, and it is fully controllable / doesn't ship bloatware.

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

#185

Post by commoner »

johnbrodie wrote: post #144
cookiengineer wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically, the Internet Connectivity Check on LineageOS also sends your position/IP to Google, and also avoids a VPN tunnel because it's lower down the stack. I can recommend LineageOS, however be aware that lots of malware infected builds have made it to xda dev in the past, so you should build it yourself if possible (or use the official downloads). Regarding the Connectivity Check: You can add all google related…

I can't recall the exact settings to push via ADB, but the Internet Connectivity Check is "easy" to fix. Create a server that's always up that responds with a 301 (or whatever the check expects), and push the address to the phone. Done. It's a shame that Google's servers are the default, and I wish it were at least called out by Lineage. That said, I doubt they want to cover hosting costs of such a service (although…

For anyone trying to implement this, the HTTP status code that Android looks for is 204.

https://android.stackexchange.com/a/186995

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

#186

Post by 1vuio0pswjnm7 »

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…

You mentioned Signal and Discord for "messaging". Can you or someone else confirm that video calls work with GrapheneOS or LineageOS. I am getting ready to try these but I am still not sure video calling works. When reading about them I cannot find much discussion of this particular application.

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

#187

Post by CountDrewku »

salusinarduis wrote: post #111
CountDrewku wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regardless of what software you put on the phone it is a tracking device. It has gps, audio, cameras, and web browsers that are all vulnerable to being hacked or used for tracking. I signed into gmail via the Bromite browser on my Pixe3a. I immediately received an email from google about my new Pixel device. They now know what device I use, what browser etc. I don't care how locked down and FOSS you make your smart p…

GraphineOS constantly spoofs the device's MAC so that argument is not valid (I also don't know how a website based email client is getting your MAC). It's also extremely easy to spoof the device's name. The way they are getting that is simply your browser's User Agent, or if it's an app, your phones root properties. There may be some other identifying properties about the device they can collect though, I agree with…

You're correct about the MAC address. However, the rest of the information collected is plenty to build a profile of any person.

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

#188

Post by commoner »

1vuio0pswjnm7 wrote: post #186
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…

You mentioned Signal and Discord for "messaging". Can you or someone else confirm that video calls work with GrapheneOS or LineageOS. I am getting ready to try these but I am still not sure video calling works. When reading about them I cannot find much discussion of this particular application.

I can confirm that video calls work in Signal on Android flavors that don't use Google Play Services, including both GrapheneOS and LineageOS.

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

#189

Post by commoner »

doc_gunthrop wrote: post #158
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…

FairEmail is also a nice open-source, privacy-focused email client available on F-droid. https://f-droid.org/en/packages/eu.faircode.email/

FairEmail is really great, almost as fully featured as Thunderbird with the best support for multiple accounts/identities that I've seen on Android so far. The developer asks for a small donation to unlock a few advanced features,* which I recommend doing.

* https://email.faircode.eu/donate/

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