Study reveals Android phones constantly snoop on their users October 12, 2021 https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...droid-phones-constantly-snoop-on-their-users/ Study: "Android Mobile OS Snooping By Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei and Realme Handsets" (PDF): https://www.scss.tcd.ie/Doug.Leith/Android_privacy_report.pdf
What else is new, Android and iOS are both crap when it comes to privacy. That's why I have never liked smartphones, I don't feel like I'm in total control. At least on Windows (desktops and laptops) there are plenty of tools to improve security and privacy.
The LineageOS thing is completely skewed, the reason LineageOS has google but /e/os doesn't is because LineageOS uses Gapps, so obviously google is gonna collect data, while /e/os uses microG which is a decent replacement but many apps don't work for it so it's more like a huge compromise for privacy rather than straight up "better". Ofc you're free not to flash Gapps or to flash MicroG or whatever u want on LineageOS, but since they recommend Gapps officially that's prob why the researchers used Gapps Now if you type Gapps vs MicroG in google u can find a billion information so i won't post that here, but here's what they have to say about this study: https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/q6mnso/android_mobile_os_snooping_by_samsung_xiaomi/
And also some more that isn't related to android but since many people are probably wondering about iphone here it is: https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/news/android-ios-data-collection https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/news/ios-android-app-privacy-parity https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/news/bad-ios-android-apps-bowne-dc28 https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/opinion/your-iphone-is-less-safe-than-it-was-yesterday-and-thats-good In fact the harvard study is just a week old so maybe someone can post it as its own thread, i really hate bb code like some plebs from 2005
I get what you're saying. But I have come to recognize that in this life, in any aspect, the notion of total control is an illusion.
For security, there is many stuff: For firewall check this https://www.theunfolder.com/best-free-firewall-for-android/ Android is waaaaaaaay more secure than windows will ever be. On android 11, every app has many permissions. U can just allow it to access what it needs. On windows? They access whatever they want. Unless u specifically use Sandboxie or smth like that. https://www.wired.com/story/android-11-privacy-and-security-features/ https://www.android.com/android-11/ each app is isolated from others https://source.android.com/security (click on security overview, security features etc. ) there are so many security stuff if u just read
Oh btw here are also more sites for privacy: https://www.privacytools.io/ https://www.privacyguides.org/ https://techlore.tech/ i also recommend techlore channel and ofc the subreddits of all those And of course for downloading apps https://alternativeto.net/software/android-market/?license=opensource (don't remove the url query) I like F-droid and FOSSdroid Now idk what google apps u use but for me there is an open source alternative for everything i use, except Maps, because no other map can compare to Google Maps, i use street view and i need it. For youtube there is NewPipe for example which lets you watch youtube but in a better way, since obviously nothing can compare with youtube. If u wanna browse Playstore u can do it with Bluestacks on your pc and then move the apk from pc to android. Really there is an alternative for almost everything just google [name of app] open source alternative and check the websites above
I will check out the firewall, but almost all apps need to connect out, so what's the point. And on Windows I have been using sandboxing and ''app permission control'' since 2004, you can use tools like Sandboxie and SpyShelter for this and it's way more advanced than this built-in stuff in crappy Android. Total control is perhaps not possible, but I'm sure you know what I mean. On Windows you can at least somewhat block telemetry and tracking from the OS and browsers. On Android and iOS, not so much. I have chosen not to use my mobile phone for anything important like banking and shopping, not even social media.
Stop being so paranoid about everything ~Phrase removed~ only thing left to say is that Earth is flat and everything is a conspiracy
Surprise! China's top Android phones collect way more info Best to revisit that plan to bring home a cheap OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, or Realme handset from your holiday By Thomas Claburn @ThomasClaburn - February 7, 2023 arXiv: Android OS Privacy Under the Loupe -- A Tale from the East
