Android: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Android logo 2019.png|thumb|The little green <s>robot</s> android is always watching you.]]
'''Android''' is a smartphone operating system developed by Google and supported by a very loose collective of other companies called Open Handset Alliance.
Yet, ''some'' things can be done to improve things, which is what this page seeks to achieve.<br>
[[File:Google play services logo.svg|thumb|And he brings along the finest <s>spyware</s> services that Google has to offer.]]
<br>
{{ombox | image=[[Image:
'''Main takeaways'''
* Android is broken up into several different manufacturer versions, each of which have some variation in the feature set.
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:* Near-stock skin by OnePlus. OnePlus is the Western facing brand of [[w:BBK Electronics]].
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== Screen lock ==
Let's start with the most obvious privacy feature of any phone; the screen lock.
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=== Filter tracking and ads ===
[[File:Adblock Plus 1.3.0.369 settings in Android 2.3.6.png|thumb|Adblock software on Android.]]
{{See also|
Additional privacy benefit from Private DNS is using an adblocking and tracker blocking DNS server.<br>
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=== F-Droid ===
The easiest way to do this is to install [[Recommended:F-Droid]]. This Android store only hosts free and open source apps, thus, anything you find here will be inherently more trustworthy than closed source software.
== Secure your communication ==
This step is actually very easy, although the difficult part comes in when you attempt to get other people to contact you via these privacy preserving options.
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Developed and operated by not-for-profit [[w:Signal Foundation|Signal Foundation]], this app meets all three of the above outlined criteria. It is based on the well-regarded E2EE [[w:Signal Protocol]], developed by the Signal Foundation's co-founder [[w:Moxie Marlinspike|Moxie Marlinspike]] and it has also received an independent audit<ref>https://ia.cr/2016/1013</ref> which did not find any notable flaws or omissions which could result in a breach of privacy.
Signal is great for direct one-on-one messaging, small group messaging, voice calls, as well as video calls <ref>they're working on group video calls, although they're not currently available</ref>. It also can send and receive SMS, though SMS is not protected by the encryption. Aside from SMS, every other form of communication through the app is end-to-end encrypted.
=====Don't use Telegram=====
One piece of bad advice that is often given out by people who should know better is to use [[Telegram]].<br />
Telegram is not end-to-end encrypted, its server software is closed source, and the service provider can read all your messages.
<!-- This commented out section probably goes into too much detail.
===== Peer to peer options =====
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[https://briarproject.org/| Briar] solves those issues, but the problem here is that the service is only available on Android. No desktop or iOS options.
======Session Messenger======
[https://getsession.org/| Session Messenger] is a fork of Signal which removes the central server, replacing them with decentralised service nodes, provides a type of Onion routing through the LokiNet thus obfuscating participant's IP addresses and eschews the need for a phone number. However, this is a very new service, and has not been audited and embraced by the privacy community yet, so
=== Video calls and conference ===
==== Jami ====
[https://jami.net/ Jami] is a pretty feature complete {{p|Skype}}/{{p|Zoom}}/{{p|Teams}} replacement that allows you to have virtual calls and meetings without any third party in the middle spying on what you're saying. It's service is decentralised, and aside from a little bit of help from a central server to established the initial connection, all the data is sent and received directly between the parties who are using the program.
==== Jitsi ====
[https://jitsi.org/ Jitsi] is another strong contender, particularly if you want to speak with somebody who is resistant towards having to install another app/program. With Jitsi, you simply create a new meeting on one of many community-ran instances, and send out the unique link. Anyone can use this link to simply join you using any modern browser.
== Avoid Google services ==
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The problem is that Google has absolutely zero shame when it comes to exploiting your information, and will use it against you every chance they get. Google's privacy policy spells quite plainly that since you're not paying for the service, you're the product.
<br>
This however does not mean that these steps are not effective in protecting your privacy or that they are not 'worth it'. The reality is that if you're willing to learn something new or spend some time re-adjusting, the end result will be a reasonable usability sacrifice with significant privacy gains.
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There are many different custom ROMs, focusing on all kinds of enhancements, so it can be a bit hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, however, from the privacy perspective, these are good bets:
*[[File:GrapheneOS Logo.svg|alt=|thumb|GrapheneOS is what Android was meant to be.]][https://grapheneos.org/ GrapheneOS] - Google-free version of Android usually considered the gold standard when it comes to privacy on Android
* [https://lineageos.org/
* [https://calyxos.org/ CalyxOS] - developed by not-for-profit Calyx Institute, which was founded by [[w:Nicholas Merrill|Nicholas Merrill]], this is another solid solution
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You might wonder how does one obtain or update apps on a device without Google services. Well, there are few ways.
* [https://f-droid.org/
* [https://auroraoss.com/
=== LineageOS with MicroG ===
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