How Has GrapheneOS Changed Your Life?

[deleted]

I've been using GrapheneOS for some time now and I couldn't be happier.

I truly believe that taking control of our technology is important in today's world.

I'm curious, why did you decide to install and use GrapheneOS?

router99

[deleted] because fuck Google and fuck the ongoing movement in Big Tech to diminish user control of their privacy and data. It just sucks that we need to give Google money for the device to be able to do this.

kopolee11

[deleted]

I'm curious, why did you decide to install and use GrapheneOS?

I missed this part of the question. I actually first heard about what became GrapheneOS from a Tor Project blog post entitled "Mission Improbable: Hardening Android for Security And Privacy" (The project was known as CopperheadOS back then)

It goes without saying that you shouldn't follow the instructions in that post anymore (if ever), but it is fascinating to see how far the project has come.

James9x19

Piece of mind. It's comforting knowing my privacy is valued

[deleted]

James9x19 Indeed <3

Bumwin3

Gos has been a great tool to put some of the power as a user back in my hands. Thanks gos!

[deleted]

Bumwin3 I totally agree <3

[deleted]

router99 Well Google's hardware security measures make it the top choice for ensuring data protection and privacy while using GrapheneOS.

jackFang

GOS is next level security for mobile phones. That's how I feel. Devs are working really hard on this one. I really appreciate their time. I'm also happy they decided to have their own social portals like this discussion forum, i.e. I think it was good to move away from GOS subreddit due to potential limits that could surface in the future.

SuperNoodle

GOS is the only sensible mobile OS if you care about privacy and security and don't want to hand your data over to Google or Apple.

Personally, I never felt comfortable using modern smartphones. I went through a phase where I clung on to my Blackberry for as long as I could, then switched over to iOS - a half-baked, closed-source OS leaving a lot to be desired. The worst part was probably being forced to tie your devices to a personal account that clearly identifies you.

The same can be said of Google, although the data collection they perform is probably much worse. Not to mention that often times vendors add their own tracking, app stores, accounts - think the likes of Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi etc. I did try flashing custom ROMs like Lineage and others but found that they weakened the AOSP security model.

Thus, a couple of years ago, I decided to install and use GOS. Never looked backed since. Using GOS empowers me, which is what tech should be all about, whilst maintaining my privacy and security.

N1b

I started using it for privacy (coming from Calyx and other LineageOS based systems), but nowadays I appreciate the control and security it provides much more. I felt uncomfortable with smartphones before since they always required microG to work for me, and I hate being forced into giving access to my microphone and camera device to a data hoarding company.

Using GOS on two devices now (one of which without any Google services) and it gives me peace of mind when my phone is in the same room as me. Since GOS has such a great user experience and almost no downside, I was able to convince my wife and some friends to also use it. They are happy for the security and privacy they have by default, the little things like deciding whether an app can communicate to the internet upon installation or whether an app gets access to all folders when asked. With GOS there is little to no maintenance to be done from my side (before my peers used to ask me lots of tech questions, but the people on GOS usually don't experience issues or find solutions themselves).

Last but not least using GOS and interacting with you fine people on this forum, I learn a lot faster about my threat model and why the features and limits of GOS are necessary. It's been a great journey and I'm looking forward to everything ahead of us (app communication scopes and duress pin being the most interesting next steps to me).

kopolee11

Not directly using GrapheneOS, but reading through the website, chats, and social media posts has really educated me a lot on tech issues in general. I am now better able to see through a lot of frankly shallow "tech advice" offered by many in the privacy community. This in turn has probably protected me from being swayed by insecure products promoted by charlatans.

TRInvictus

GOS is great and I do very much appreciate anyones work and effort put into it. Thank. You. Very. Much.

I was using a phone by a Chinese manufacturer over the last years and was trying to cheat on me saying "what's up, it doesn't care at all, that G and that Chinese company, and whoever else, is spying on me, I'm not of any interest, I don't have anything to hide".
That's not true and not the way one should think, no more acceptance for how those companies behave! They're stealing data and making huge money disregarding any propriety.

I'm still setting up my phone, literally made a rocket science out of it, hehe, but I'm learning a lot and I enjoy it, being comfortable as I do have the control, or at least on the most of it, as there're still some apps you relay on, requesting ways of compromise.

GOS fulfils a lot of threat models and helps a lot of people in need of it, developed by smart guys with good intensions, gives a positive feeling of trust and satisfaction, not feeding the big companies (and others) anymore. Thank you

Xtreix

In addition to being competent, I think the team is honest and really cares about users, much of the mobile security market is a gigantic puddle of snake oil whose only objective is to make money by exploiting the ignorance of naive users, GrapheneOS is clear and precise in what it does, it explains concretely what it does, what it doesn't do and why, in fact, you only have to visit the site and read the documentation to see that they love what they do and that selling marketing is not in their plans, I'd like to thank Daniel Micay for his courage and for everything he accomplished first, thank you.

TRInvictus

ACK to your post, but

Xtreix exploiting the ignorance of naive users

yes they do exploit, but "ignorance" and "naive"...?

Xtreix

TRInvictus Taking the example of Myntex, which sells insecure Android devices and spreads misinformation about Signal and FOSS in general, they target users who want better control of their data on their devices but have no idea how it works, or even that the basis is to get an up-to-date device with appropriate security patches in the first place, they read useless articles about data leaks on the Internet and decide one day not to trust Google or Apple any more, but to pass on their trust to small, obscure companies except that this reasoning is extremely fallacious, not to mention the fact that its vendors may have criminal connections, and that some of its devices may have been intercepted by law enforcement agencies.

TRInvictus

Xtreix Billions of people world wide using smartphones (and computers or any other devices that do not respect privacy and steal people's own data). Billions of people not having the background to understand what really happens. I'd not blame them as "ignorant" nor "naive". People world wide would be required to be trained in order to understand and being able to react, but by whom and where? In school? Learning maths - and privacy and security? Would require that any governments would make that mandatory part of school courses. Wait, by the same governments that nowadays still leave big data snake thiefs steal our private data more or less legally or even intended, doing very very big bucks thanks to all those billions of "ignorant" and "naive" people?
(I think we're going out of OPs scope, sorry)

Xtreix

TRInvictus I think you've missed my point, I'm talking specifically about malicious companies that claim to sell features to fight GAFAM, surveillance capitalism and mass surveillance when they don't, CopperheadOS is another example, they deceive their users and it's not insulting to cite the ignorance and naivety these companies target, I'm ignorant myself on many other points, it's also probably another reason why most people who have absolutely no interest in technology should use an iPhone. I'm not talking about the big tech companies here, that's irrelevant and neither Google, Microsoft nor Apple are privacy offenders, I won't comment on other companies like Facebook because I have far more doubts, but despite their flaws, these three companies have made progress and are involved in open-source and code improvement.

TRInvictus

Xtreix I think you've missed my point, I'm talking specifically about malicious companies
I think I understand now, as you compare GOS to those small snakey companies, promising good value (for money) but actually not providing it - whereas GOS does.

Xtreix neither Google, Microsoft nor Apple are privacy offenders
Serious? G? Am I missing your point again?

Roger

Now that I use grapheneos I've started writing a manifesto, I stockpile food and ammo, and I wear a Guy Fawkes mask anytime I have to go into town. I see it as a lifestyle. It's a decent replacement for templeos.

Xtreix

Roger It's a decent replacement for templeos.

TempleOS as main OS and DuskOS on an Sega Master Sytem is the way.