Make change, take action, tell others and help them.
I used ADB and 100% degoogled my phone, I swapped out all the stock android apps for private opensource alts. I don't have any accounts on my phone. Never signed into email or anything. I also removed functionality for NFC, finger print scanning, and facial recognition. I have a toggle that disables all sensors.
I am walking around not sharing shit with the data brokers. I have a separate device for interacting with corporate world, it is walled off from everything else.
Also, syncthing can replace much of the functionality google offers with cloud/docs/pics. And KDEconnect is an air mouse/remote touchpad which is super awesome too. It will let you text from pc and can share all notifications and such.
We are opting in on data brokers and this invasion of privacy by accepting the terms of use. What I have expressed is a way to refuse those terms. I buy tech with a privacy requirement. Stock android or apple would be unacceptable as I believe proprietary accounts for the ability to use a device means that I do not have any control of it. I am not spending money on that.
I’m guessing the trade off for privacy and control is a lot of your time and effort to manage this yourself and not being able to interact with genpop as easily (incidental friction).. is that right?
guess again, I spend time reading about privacy things, but I don't spend time managing anything. My phone has been the same set up for like 5 years. It works just as well now as it did 5 years ago. And, if I lost my phone no one is getting any info on my accounts.
"not being able to interact with genpop as easily"
I don't even know what you are on about with this, do you think google is the key to your social life? I know of the people around me, my phone is the longest running set up. And, I pay a lot less than everyone I know. $130 on the phone 5-6 years ago and $200/yr for service.
Oh, did you know that when you remove all the carrier control of a device you can do things like use your hotspot without a separate data cap, or if you use youtube in a browser in desktop mode it has the same functionality as the $20/mo premium subscription?
By “interact with genpop”, i mean doing simple things that make things easy for consumers like texting photos, using tap to pay when buying things, sending an email with photos to someone new you just met.
I understand your point of view, my point is that it must take a lot of work to get your phone and your practices to that point, and I’m wondering if it limits you from being able to do some things. That’s great it works for you.
I don’t understand your last paragraph but that’s fine.
You do have me curious about your use of “private” open source alternatives. Are you using apps that are secure and have a substantial amount of developer activity (I.e. apps that aren’t stale, poorly coded, etc)?
You think I can't text a photo? where is your brain? You know credit cards have tap to pay right? no app involved. I have not had a desire to send an attachment in an email in years. And I run a company. Email is just a point of contact for vendors. My bills are sent there.
I have no issues with apps. Maybe you should try some alts and see for yourself if you are curious. Fdroid is full of opensource
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u/Jumping-Gazelle 7d ago
so done with this "always connected" stuff.