Do older android devices spy on you less?
from unicornBro@sh.itjust.works to privacy@lemmy.ml on 15 Jun 20:36
https://sh.itjust.works/post/61878999
from unicornBro@sh.itjust.works to privacy@lemmy.ml on 15 Jun 20:36
https://sh.itjust.works/post/61878999
I need to use Google Android OS for work. If I use a Pixel 4, will it spy on me less than if I use something newer like a Pixel 9?
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Not only do they still spy on you, the security vulnerabilities in the unsupported OS makes it piss easy for anyone else to do so too.
If you MUST use a Google Android device, make accounts dedicated to your work usage only and power it off when you aren’t working.
I don’t think I’d go that far. I mean it’s pretty difficult to live without a smart phone these days. And there are easier ways to track someone. But yeah, both Google and Apple spy a ton. Google used to not so much of you opted out before they dropped the “don’t be evil” thing and went pure evil. And at least with Android there are alternative operating systems like GrapheneOS that are way more private. But yeah, if you must have no tracking whatsoever, then don’t own any electronic devices with any wireless capabilites since things like traffic cameras track you based on Bluetooth, NFC, and WiFi MAC addresses as well as license plates and they are super easy to hack the whole network and track anyone…which lead to don’t own a car.
Anyway, it’s nearly impossible these days to avoid being tracked. You have to isolate yourself pretty seriously to truly not be tracked.
Further to privacy concerns your work may prevent older android OS versions from connecting to their environment at all. Certainly a thing we do at mine.
It’s not really the version of Android you should worry about, but the updates to Google Play Services, and they are still being pushed to old, deprecated versions of Android.
I’m considering a slight variation of this. I’m considering getting an Android phone for work to get to know Android better. It’ll probably be a Samsung phone. Is that better for Privacy than using a Pixel device? Is it still a privacy nightmare? Is it possible to block/disable location services in Android?
This is kind of like asking which drug is better to overdose on ;)
That said, in this scenario I’d recommend a Pixel, that way only one company is spying on you, since the stock android experience is kept ‘minimal’. Samsung will bloat the device.
Stock Android will also give you a fantastic jumping-off point if you want to get into something more privacy focused down the line, like GrapheneOS
The thing that really gets you are the apps… Anything showing you ads is vacuuming data.
Best thing to do is avoid ads and bad apps, use fdroid instead.
would recommend using obtainium instead of FDroid to get your apps from the source.
github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium
I trust fdroid more than I trust upstream tbh
I’ll prefer the OD with the most awesome colours and the least projectile vomiting 😅
It sounds like the choice will be between one preselected Android model and one pre selected iPhone model, so the choice will probably be limited.
Either way I’ll keep my private phone, and will not have private data on the work phone.
It is worse than the Google Pixel by a lot. Samsung loves spyware (looking at you you preloaded Israel spyware for phones in the middle east), and you still have the Google spyware too (Samsung+Google OS vs just Google). Pixel is pretty clean (compared to other certified Android devices). I used Universal-Android-Debloater-NG on a fresh Pixel 10 and there wasnt much to debloat (without compromising functionality). Avoid phone carriers when buying a phone, more spyware.
My recommendations: Buy a Pixel 9 or 10 (unlocked not from a carrier) and flash GrapheneOS. Way better than stock.
Samsung started permablocking any alternative os by just not having an unlock able bootloader at all
Idk how that relates to my comment at all. Yes that is true, part of the reason I’d never use a Samsung. UAD-ng can be used to debloat while keeping the stock OS.
As others have said, no because Google’s components have very good backward compatibility and will come for your device on its stock OS.
I had other vendors in mind when I first read your question. In a sense, older ones could spy less as a side effect of vendor telemetry servers going dark over the years. Samsung also wasn’t as rampant with their spying back then. But either way, such phones would have been long without any security updates.
No. AOSP itself has little to no tracking. All the tracking/spying comes from Google Play Services which are automatically updated to the latest version. Also those are installed as system apps so they have greater access to OS functionality and normally you won’t be able to change the permissions.
In my case I need one app for generating RSA token to login to system. But somehow it works on GrapheneOS. I have created separate profile for that and installed just that 1 app. And during registration we need internet access after that that’s not even needed so I’ve even disabled internet access. And it still works. Check if something similar can be done in your case. But be careful some companies force you to BYOD but then restrict saying you can’t root or use custom ROMs.
pixel android has pretty much no telemetry afaik after purging all proprietary google shits with universal android debloater…
if you’re able to root it, also install afwall and adaway. if you can’t, install rethinkdns
Keep your work phone and have a fun phone with LineageOS without GApps (don’t even install microG)