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How can you make stock Android as private as possible? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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I know that stock Android itself is spyware.

What tips about setting up my stock Android phone would you give me? It's not factory unlocked so I'm sticking with Google Android.

Things I've done:

  • Stopped and disabled all apps that I don't use or need.
  • Replaced all apps that I can with FOSS alternatives from github using Obtainium.
  • Not installed things that I can just check on my laptop like email.

Is there anything else that I can do? Thanks in advance

Edit I've also:

  • Changed my DNS to Mullvad DNS
  • Restricted app permissions to only what they need
  • Not signed into the phone. I don't even have Gmail account.
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[–] -2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I’'d argue changing who can see your data from either a large group to a smaller one or one you do trust vs one you do not trust precisely is protecting your privacy.

It's always astounding to me that people put more trust in an intangible rando from the internet than into organizations governed by law. Like those people who don't accept mainstream medicine but eat random supplements they imported from India by the kilogram.

Also FWIW you can host your VPN, you do not have to rely on a commercial VPN provider.

Sure you can. And where does that traffic go?

If you e.g. host a VPN in your home network and you connect to it from your phone, and then you use this connection to access the internet, then your traffic will just be visible to your home network's ISP instead of your phone's ISP.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (1 child)

    No idea what your analogy about non conventional medicine is about. Feel free to explain.

    just be visible to your home network’s ISP instead of your phone’s ISP.

    Indeed, which is already what I mentioned, namely another group. It's about the threat model namely if you trust one ISP more than another. I believe your understood that but chose not to acknowledge it and I'm not sure why but maybe it related to your analogy that I didn't get.

    Edit: if you and others are interested in the topic I recommend https://splintercon.net/ plenty of resources on the topic.

    PS: FWIW I didn't suggest VPN is the solution to all problems but they do alleviate some. The point is one must understand both how they work and their OWN threat model rather than an idealized one.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago

    The analogy is that on the one hand you have a corporation where you know who they are, where you know which laws they are governed by, where you know how to file a privacy complaint, where you know who to sue in case something goes wrong. And you don't trust them.

    Instead you choose to trust some rando from the internet. Where anyone with a sane mind knows they will get screwed over.

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