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I'm someone who cares about #privacy. Not one of those hard core privacy guys who ramp over a whole life to master being absolutley privacy reserving. But I really care.

Now, I curious to hear your opinion as I ran into a conflict between money and privacy:

(First a little about my situation) Currently I'm still using an Oneplus Nord 2 with its default ROM. There is literally no stable custom one available. I know that Googles version of Android is spying at me - I want to use #GrapheneOS. Additonally I HAVE to use WhatsApp, otherwise I would socially disconnect from many friends that I can't get to use Signal. Graphene restricting Whatsapp taking my phones data would be great besides all the other great stuff.

Here is the conflict: I need a Google Pixel sooner or later and it would be dump not to buy a Pixel 8 because of its long support. 6 years is really game changing. However my Oneplus is still working perfectly fine. Normally I wouldnt buy a new phone. But I would feel pretty strange to give my privacy away for a whole year more. Pixels are quite expensive - I could get a great Linux laptop for the same price and from the technical perspective my Oneplus would last. Even when it stops to recieve security updates in July.

What are your thoughts about privacy vs. money? I find that topic quite ineresting.

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Discussion

516add19... 1y ago

You get what you pay for. I would rather pay with money for privacy, than pay "less" but really pay with my data being sold.

FreedomTech 1y ago

You can get a nice used Pixel 6 on Swappa.com for $200. Thay are great phones, and still supported for 3 years. (Security updates end July 01, 2027)

Nacho Enthusiast 1y ago

Wow, sounds awesome. Will check that out!

Dr. Hax 1y ago

I can attest that Swappa is awesome, as is GrapheneOS. GrapheneOS now supports Google Play Services and so it should be able to run WhatsApp and any other app that requires those services be installed.

As for the bigger question about money and privacy in general, it's possible to get a lot of privacy for not a lot of money.

For example, riseup provides email and VPN service in exchange for donations. https://riseup.net/

It's often fairly simple things that can make a big difference. In my opinion, the biggest problem is that it's takes time to learn what protections are actually effective versus who is just trying to sell you something.

For what it's worth from a total stranger on the internet, I can say TheNewOil really hits a home run on that front. It's not aimed at "privacy at all costs" people. It's aimed at people who just want a reasonable amount of privacy online. You can spend a few minutes watching a video and then set up something to make you a little safer online. Do that a few times and you'll be in a much better situation.

FreedomTech 1y ago

My entire family and hometown uses WhatsCrapp. I dropped it anyways. You don't "need" it.

We can call each other if we want to chat. That's how the world has worked in the past anyways, and nobody lost touch.

Face to face and phone calls are much more personal and build stronger bonds.

Skipper 1y ago

Your phone is the most important device. It's the one thing you carry around everywhere, at all times. The sooner you get a #grapheneOS phone the better. You must get rid of stock #android and all Google shit ASAP.

Vyram Kraven 1y ago

As a person who has bought many devices. I would say having the latest device because of it's long-term support isn't worth it. Sure you get security updates but lets face it most security updates are really just to ensure you have a double backdoor for google, samsung, microsoft, meta & whoever to get in. The whole it's to protect from 0 day hacks is such a vague broad explanation you have to question it really.

If you want a phone just to be privacy free it's better to go for a older phone over a newer one. First ask yourself what are you getting this phone for do you need the extra ram are you really going to play games on it? How much space do you need are you really gunna fill it all up or will you be transferring things to pc more because if you are you don't need much space unless you want to fill your phone with music.

Newer devices are getting more hoops to unlock the bootloader I just recently got a unlocked Moto G Plus 2024. Motorola did this slick shit that I had to keep the phone on & connected to wifi for 7 days straight just to get the OEM Unlock option in developer options to ungray. After that I had to adb my phone run this command motorola instructs to get your bootloader lock code then I had to go to the motorola website & sign up just to go to their bootloader unlock page where I have to paste that lock code.

Then I waited for an email from them to get my unlock code which I have to run in adb to actually unlock the bootloader. It was not worth all those hoops just because the phones newer. If motorola can do that whats to stop samsung & google from implementing that into newer phones. On my older devices changing os was easy cakes none of those hoops just oem unlock & ready to tinker.

I owned a google pixel 6a & putting calyxos on that was easy. It was automated so all I had to do was bootloader unlock & usb debug mode when plugged into my pc the calyxos install page did everything else automatically & I am free.

Nacho Enthusiast 1y ago

I got a Pixel some weeks ago and switched to Graphene OS. I'm getting your point that newer isn't always better. Actually, I orientated my choice based on what Graphenes website recommends.

Vyram Kraven 1y ago

Oh thats wonderful!

Vyram Kraven 1y ago

As for those people you say you need whatsapp for I would tell them all we ain't friends no more if you don't switch. Use Jitsi the open source self hosting voice/video conference chat with text chat in it as well. If you need a im app use matrix or simplex. Matrix has jitsi intergration so if you set them up you could voice/video chat with your friends within the matrix element app itself.

I don't like signal personally because requiring a phone number is a contradiction to the whole purpose & there is absolutely no nescessary need to require a phone number for private chatting it's just to help the government know whos using what.

The good thing about jitsi is it works right in the browser you don't need to download the app to use it. The app just gives you a history of rooms you joined. You can learn all about it from meet.jit.si but if you want to use it don't use it on the official site. The devs went contradickory harvey two face on everyone & made their official instance require third party logins after being bad mouthed online for being horrible support against nefarious users. This however does not affect the software itself so if you want to try it I would use another instance hosted by someone else like.

https://jitsi.4d2.org

Room names are made with just url/name

like https://jitsi.4d2.org/thefunchat

Easy peasy isn't it?

Nacho Enthusiast 1y ago

Nah, not that easy peasy.

As I said I value privacy much but not to the point where it begins to ruin all my social life. Sure, I could get my friends switching to SimpleX (which prefer).

However, not using Whatsapp would be like a social isolation. All group chats take place there - that's the main issue which holds me back. I could chat with my friends individually over SimpleX but would be isolated from group activities. These play a really important role in our communication.

Sure, I could aks someone to keep me up to date. No, I wont.

Maybe I can ditch Whatsapp as the last bigtech service I use in future by connecting to new friends over SimpleX directly.

Regarding Signal: Personally, I don't think phonenumbers are used there to help govs identifying users intentonally. Coming from Whatsapp you have all your conatcts using Signal there, without having to ask them for a username or a link to connect. I believe it's about comfort and avoiding to overwhelm people switching from apps like Whatsapp.

Vyram Kraven 1y ago

Simple X is not just 1 on 1 it's rooms you can have group chats.

Vyram Kraven 1y ago

Also yes it is really easy peasy with the right phone get yourself a pixel 5-7a & i'll show you. I believe grapheneos also has web install as well.