[SEARCH]Best Smartphone Choice for Privacy (Black Friday)

[Cola]

Hello everyone,

my current smartphone is on its last legs (Xiaomi Mi8; only charing when turend on), therefore I want to buy a new one on Black Friday. With my previous pick it was important to me that there was no fingerprintreader on the display. Looking for a deal on Black Friday I have to take what I can get.

I have the following questions:

Can a screen protector make a display fingerprintreader dysfunctional?

Is there a difference in brands like Huawai and google, in who is able to invade my privacy?

What are the best options (apart from not getting a smartphone at all) for people that don't like the idea of potential invasions of there privacy?

Is it advisable to root your smartphone and install a custom firmware for more privacy? What smartphones are good for this and what should I look out for?

I hope you can help me, and thank you in advance!

 

[rvbfan]

If you just want a phone for basic texting and calls, maybe consider a feature phone.

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_us/feature-phones

Or this,

https://pine64.org/devices/pinephone/

Some reading

5 Best Linux Phones to Watch Out for in 2024

A list of best Linux Phones (current and upcoming) which may become more mainstream in 2024 with spec and comparison.

www.debugpoint.com

 

[joeldf]

Is there a difference in brands like Huawai and google, in who is able to invade my privacy?

That's a loaded question right there.

I'll put it to you this way.

Huawei is a Chinese company, who manufactures the parts, assembles the parts and loads the software all within China. As such, they must comply with the Chinese government, run by the Chinese Communist Party, with all their information gathering requirements to support their social credit system. Look it up.

Would any of that information from outside of China matter to the PRC? Does Huawei have a different run of phones for outside of China beyond making sure network band support is ensured?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

I don't know, and no one knows for sure. China has no interest in anyones money, so those that say "I haven't had my money stolen" misses the point of the info that China would gather.

What they do gather is information. While I'm sure they would filter out non-citizen information, I don't trust that they toss it away. Maybe they hold on to it - "for future reference". That would be my fear.

Google... is a different animal. They only want to sell what they can from the more-or-less "general" information they can get about you. However, you can reduce a lot of what Google gets from you.

Are you on Facebook, Twitter and/or TikTok? They probably have even more directly identifiable information about you specifically than Google could ever get. Especially Facebook. I'm on Facebook, but never use the app on my phone. Just with a browser with ad blockers. I also don't put any info about myself for my account. Leaving just my name, age, the city where I live. Nothing about my interests, favorites, preferences, whatever. Way back when I first set up myself on Facebook, I started to fill some of that out, and as I went through it, I thought... you know, maybe not. Other people don't need to know any of that. Later, I realized what Facebook really uses that for.

In the end, the "invasion of privacy" thing is multi-layered. How much can you let happen and how much privacy do you think you already have? Remember in years past, all one needed to do was look you up in a phonebook and they had your phone number and address right there. A simple internet search can gather whatever info there is on you already just in publicly available government records.

Personally, I think Google is the lesser evil. If only because you can know what they have, and reduce what they get. You just really don't know with Huawei - one way or the other.

While I have a Google account. I do not have a Gmail account (which is possible, thank goodness). I do have an Outlook account though, and it's paid, so I avoid the ads that way.

 

[Cola]

If you just want a phone for basic texting and calls, maybe consider a feature phone.

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_us/feature-phones

Or this,

https://pine64.org/devices/pinephone/

Some reading

5 Best Linux Phones to Watch Out for in 2024

A list of best Linux Phones (current and upcoming) which may become more mainstream in 2024 with spec and comparison.

www.debugpoint.com

Yes, I have bought an old sony one used. But I also need a regular smartphone, because not having that is too much of a handycap.

That's a loaded question right there.

I'll put it to you this way.

Huawei is a Chinese company, who manufactures the parts, assembles the parts and loads the software all within China. As such, they must comply with the Chinese government, run by the Chinese Communist Party, with all their information gathering requirements to support their social credit system. Look it up.

Would any of that information from outside of China matter to the PRC? Does Huawei have a different run of phones for outside of China beyond making sure network band support is ensured?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

I don't know, and no one knows for sure. China has no interest in anyones money, so those that say "I haven't had my money stolen" misses the point of the info that China would gather.

What they do gather is information. While I'm sure they would filter out non-citizen information, I don't trust that they toss it away. Maybe they hold on to it - "for future reference". That would be my fear.

Google... is a different animal. They only want to sell what they can from the more-or-less "general" information they can get about you. However, you can reduce a lot of what Google gets from you.

Okay, but practically speaking, would be a rooted cfw smartphone make it harder to invade my privacy by big institutions? In a way, I think china is so forgein that they my data won't be much less of an interest than institutions that are much closer to home.

Are you on Facebook, Twitter and/or TikTok?

No, if it is not absolutely necessary for me to have an account on something, I won't sign up.

In the end, the "invasion of privacy" thing is multi-layered. How much can you let happen and how much privacy do you think you already have?

Not much but I want to do anything I can, yet I need a smartphone I can't just go without one sadly.

Personally, I think Google is the lesser evil. If only because you can know what they have, and reduce what they get. You just really don't know with Huawei - one way or the other.

Okay, but google has a very bad reputation, there is no simple answer, I get your point.

While I have a Google account. I do not have a Gmail account (which is possible, thank goodness). I do have an Outlook account though, and it's paid, so I avoid the ads that way.

Can you link me something that explains the details? Can you use that account for play store and youtube?

 

[winmod21]

Some reading

5 Best Linux Phones to Watch Out for in 2024

A list of best Linux Phones (current and upcoming) which may become more mainstream in 2024 with spec and comparison.

www.debugpoint.com

Interesting! Thanks for those links, @rvbfan ! Well for Pete's sake! Makes me wonder why didn't I see anything about or in reference to these phones throughout my fairly extensive searches, via duckduckgo, chrome, bing & startpage . . .whilst I was trying find a good replacement for my S7A (Galaxy S7 Active), with a replaceable battery and other increased privacy features. I may have opted for one of them there: Librem 5's ... or Volla phones ... or Fairphone 4's !:~\

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

It's so weird how concerned westerners (well, mostly Americans lol) are about the Chinese government getting their personal info. What are they going to do with it? I'm way more concerned about five eyes nations.

 

[B. Diddy]

I'd just point out that Google doesn't sell any information -- they don't have to. Google has an enormous advertising business, and companies pay them in order to advertise through them. As such, Google only has to keep the data it collects in-house only, and uses that for its algorithms to determine what kind of advertising it has available in its gigantic stockpile to serve up to you.

This is in contrast to Samsung, which explicitly states in its terms of service that it may sell information to 3rd parties. These articles from JR Raphael help to put it into context:

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3615169/google-privacy-questions.html

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3514999/samsung-selling-data.html

 

[joeldf]

Can you link me something that explains the details? Can you use that account for play store and youtube?

It's actually quite easy today.

Way back about 10 years ago, there was a period when Google did force new accounts to use Gmail. But I had set one up several years before that, before they even started pushing the Gmail service.

Today, and for quite a while now, it's not required once again.

When setting up the account there's an option to "use my current email address instead".

Create a Google Account - Computer - Google Account Help

A Google Account gives you access to many Google products. With a Google Account, you can do things like: Send and receive email using

support.google.com

And, yes, I can sign into any Google owned service. Maps, YouTube, Google Drive, Google Docs, etc.

I just turn off all history which YouTube fusses at me about, but I don't care.

 

[Cola]

Interesting! Thanks for those links, @rvbfan ! Well for Pete's sake! Makes me wonder why didn't I see anything about or in reference to these phones throughout my fairly extensive searches, via duckduckgo, chrome, bing & startpage . . .whilst I was trying find a good replacement for my S7A (Galaxy S7 Active), with a replaceable battery and other increased privacy features. I may have opted for one of them there: Librem 5's ... or Volla phones ... or Fairphone 4's !:~\

Can those linux phones install apk's like on android?

It's so weird how concerned westerners (well, mostly Americans lol) are about the Chinese government getting their personal info. What are they going to do with it? I'm way more concerned about five eyes nations.

I trust the Chinese government to leave me alone way more than google.

It's actually quite easy today.

Way back about 10 years ago, there was a period when Google did force new accounts to use Gmail. But I had set one up several years before that, before they even started pushing the Gmail service.

Today, and for quite a while now, it's not required once again.

When setting up the account there's an option to "use my current email address instead".

Create a Google Account - Computer - Google Account Help

A Google Account gives you access to many Google products. With a Google Account, you can do things like: Send and receive email using

support.google.com

And, yes, I can sign into any Google owned service. Maps, YouTube, Google Drive, Google Docs, etc.

I just turn off all history which YouTube fusses at me about, but I don't care.

Do I need to give them my phone number?

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

It's actually quite easy today.

Way back about 10 years ago, there was a period when Google did force new accounts to use Gmail. But I had set one up several years before that, before they even started pushing the Gmail service.

Today, and for quite a while now, it's not required once again.

When setting up the account there's an option to "use my current email address instead".

Create a Google Account - Computer - Google Account Help

A Google Account gives you access to many Google products. With a Google Account, you can do things like: Send and receive email using

support.google.com

And, yes, I can sign into any Google owned service. Maps, YouTube, Google Drive, Google Docs, etc.

I just turn off all history which YouTube fusses at me about, but I don't care.

I'm pretty sure Google accounts were originally created for Gmail... In fact they were originally just Gmail accounts not Google accounts. There wouldn't have really been a reason for anyone to have a Google account before Gmail.

 

[joeldf]

Do I need to give them my phone number?

I'm not sure if it's required, but they do have mine. I use my phone for business a lot anyway so it's not like it's isn't already out there.

I'm pretty sure Google accounts were originally created for Gmail... In fact they were originally just Gmail accounts not Google accounts. There wouldn't have really been a reason for anyone to have a Google account before Gmail.

Gmail went into public beta around 2004, but wasn't unified with Google accounts until 2011. Google accounts itself was around before that. I had created my account around 2002 or so to access Google Groups that was started in 2001 - their version of the old Outlook Express Newsgroups, which itself was MS's version of the old Usenet bulletin board group sites. I signed up then because all the AutoCAD newsgroups I used to visit in Express since the late 90s started moving to Google Groups. Then, at some point, I stopped checking them out and totally forgot that I even had an account.

Until around the end of 2014 when I had my BlackBerry Z10 and Cobolt released his famous Patched Google Play Store and Services stack for BB10. I thought, okay, I need a Google account. Tried to set one up until it said one already existed for me. Really? I had completely forgotten. Even though I was transitioning my email address to Outlook at the time, I still had the old Cox account working, so I sent a new password request and got it going from there. I was able to change the email address to the Outlook account once I was in.

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

I'm not sure if it's required, but they do have mine. I use my phone for business a lot anyway so it's not like it's isn't already out there.


Gmail went into public beta around 2004, but wasn't unified with Google accounts until 2011. Google accounts itself was around before that. I had created my account around 2002 or so to access Google Groups that was started in 2001 - their version of the old Outlook Express Newsgroups, which itself was MS's version of the old Usenet bulletin board group sites. I signed up then because all the AutoCAD newsgroups I used to visit in Express since the late 90s started moving to Google Groups. Then, at some point, I stopped checking them out and totally forgot that I even had an account.

Until around the end of 2014 when I had my BlackBerry Z10 and Cobolt released his famous Patched Google Play Store and Services stack for BB10. I thought, okay, I need a Google account. Tried to set one up until it said one already existed for me. Really? I had completely forgotten. Even though I was transitioning my email address to Outlook at the time, I still had the old Cox account working, so I sent a new password request and got it going from there. I was able to change the email address to the Outlook account once I was in.

That's interesting. I've had my Gmail account since it was an invite only beta, but I've gotta admit I've got absolutely no idea when it became a Google account... I feel like I've had one since before 2011, but maybe not.

Maybe I just logged in to Google acounts with my Gmail credentials and it automatically became a Google account...


I must have forgotten that Google accounts were a thing before Gmail. Or maybe I never knew... but that seems unlikely. Either way, as I said, interesting.

 

[Cola]

So is it basically hopless and I might as well get any smartphone I can pick up on black friday? I have heard that Samsung is working with the CIA is that true?

 

[joeldf]

I have heard that Samsung is working with the CIA is that true?

Let me guess, you saw that on the internet... because that's always true.

To do what exactly?

No more than Google, Facebook, MS, Twitter, etc...

Honestly what would they find out? If they are keeping an eye on me, they'd be bored out of their minds.

I mean, unless you run a criminal organization, get what you like and move on with life. Be mindful of your online presence, sure, but don't worry about the boogy man. He's not there.


Edited a misspelling.

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

Let me quess, you saw that on the internet... because thats always true.

To do what exactly?

No more than Google, Facebook, MS, Twitter, etc...

Honestly what would they find out? If they are keeping an eye on me, they'd be bored out of their minds.

I mean, unless you run a criminal organization, get what you like and move on with life. Be mindful of your online presence, sure, but don't worry about the boogy man. He's not there.

OH NOES! *whispers* what if they find out I like naked curvy ladies and expensive kitchen appliances!

 

[mustang7757]

OH NOES! *whispers* what if they find out I like naked curvy ladies and expensive kitchen appliances!

You bad boy lol