r3tr0 so Reddit get their Intel even through Infinity? So would the web version be better, and I can just add that as a home screen shortcut?
Or would having it on another profile be better? Because I don't using the web version on my main profile if that's safest/most private.
r3tr0 I use reddit strictly for learning and researching. I don't do anything but view certain subreddits, and I don't care if reddit can track that because my account has no link to my identity and I always use a VPN so they cannot log my real IP.
I'm more concerned that even if I have Infinity for Reddit, that it will track how I use my phone in the background, and log my data. In that case, using the web version sounds the right choice.
But since Infinity for Reddit is private and open source, they wouldn't be tracking data, would they?
I use reddit strictly for learning and researching. I don't do anything but view certain subreddits
In that case, I recommend using a private frontend for Reddit called Redlib. You can utilize the UntrackMe app, to automatically open all Reddit links in Redlib.
You can also just use a subreddit's RSS feed, and view in in an app like Read You. There's also a feature request for Redlib to get RSS support: https://github.com/redlib-org/redlib/issues/57
[deleted] I use Infinity. I think its ons of the best options for viewing reddit on mobile.
In terms of trusting that the app isn't 'spying on you', here is their privacy policy: https://docile-alligator.github.io/ .
Of course you have to trust that they are abiding by what they put there.
However, the app is open source which makes it much more transparent.
Of course there is no guarantee the apk on Github or on the Play Store is actually the code on github, they could sneak other stuff into the app they compile.
So you could build the app yourself from the code on Github...
It goes on and on but you do have to trust some apps and services at some point. Also apps are, in some ways, safer than using a service through a browser as the apps are restricted by the permissions they are given whereas browser code can change at any point and its harder to verify what code is running through a browser. That is up for debate though I'm sure, and I'm not qualified to get into that argument.
Infinity doesn't ask for too many permissions and the dev seems trustworthy to me. Personally I think it's a pretty safe bet it isn't spying on you. One thing you can do though is set the battery use to restricted for Infinity, then it won't be able to run in the background much. Also, you can deny the sensors permission. Those things will reduce its ability to 'spy' if it did want to
roamer4223 thanks for the explanation! As Infinity is just a Reddit client, can Reddit spy on you through the app?
You have to pay Infinity to log into reddit via Infinity because of Reddit's costly API restrictions. If you don't log in, and use a VPN/tor, then the main way they can track your activity on reddit is by tracking what content you view, for how long, and stuff like that to build a "fingerprint" based on your unique browsing habits, and then keep an eye out for similar instances that are browsing their site, and compare and contrast that fingerprint with fingerprints compiled by other sites, which they can purchase through data brokers and etc.
If they can narrow down the list of potential matches enough, they can make a very, very well educated guess as to who you are.
Using a popular (paid and trusted) VPN with that VPN's DNS service or at least a popular DNS can really cut down on their ability to build a fingerprint, because your browsing habits likely somewhat closely match those of other people who use a Pixel running GOS browsing with Infinity via a trusted VPN and DNS, so their ability to fingerprint you gets kinda... muddy.
Privacy is an arms race and its a sliding scale. Doing the above won't make it so they CAN'T "spy" on you... But it will make it quite a bit more difficult. And since they won't get any ad revenue because infinity blocks ads (I think) and most good VPNs also block ads, they're not likely to spend much money on pinpointing your identity when it probably won't do them much good, anyway.
GlytchMeister thank you for the detailed explanation, I'll take it all into account :)
Velocity9490 has redlib been working for you lately? A couple weeks ago I started getting this error message intermittently, "Failed to parse page JSON data: EOF while parsing a value at line 1 column 0"
Roger I only had that issue with Libreddit, never with Redlib. Maybe try a different instance from the official instance list: https://github.com/redlib-org/redlib-instances/blob/main/instances.md
[deleted] I agree with @GlytchMeister . Using a trusted VPN like Mullvad (and not logging in to reddit of course) is pretty much the main way of obscuring your identity while using Infinity.
Infinity already sends the minimum amount of data to reddit when accessing the site, and it does block ads so using the default DNS server of your VPN is best as you don't need to use a separate DNS server to block loads of stuff. In fact I think it's almost always best to use the default DNS server when using a VPN as using another one can make you stand out. One thing I personally wouldn't do, unless you can't afford a VPN, is use Tor/Orbot to access something like infinity, or mobile phone traffic in general. I think it could make you stand out more than using a VPN as it's probably much less commonly done (except using the Tor browser, but according to GrapheneOS Gecko-based browsers are not recommended due to security concerns - look at the 'Web browsing' section in the Usage guide.
By the way, I may well be wrong in my opinions, I'm just giving you my views based on my understanding of things.
As @GlytchMeister said, privacy is an arms race and a sliding scale. So I think the best thing to do, as long as your threat model allows, is just try to take steps to improve your situation, but don't go too far down the rabbit hole trying to achieve perfect privacy. It just isn't worth it IMO
[deleted] Ohh and to answer your other question, when you ask if Reddit can 'spy' on you through Infinity, if you mean things like: Seeing what other apps you have installed, seeing your usage habits outside of Infinity, and other things similar to that - then no, it can't. If you don't use a VPN, it could get a rough idea of your location from your IP address but not much else really. Unless I have a fundemental misunderstanding of things, I'm very confident that Reddit can not gather any information it isn't directly given when you use Infinity.
[deleted] Remember, if you don't want Infinity running in the background, don't use their notification feature, as it periodically checks for notifications in the background.
Also, go to the Infinity app info and tap on 'App battery usage' and turn off 'Allow background usage'
roamer4223 thanks heaps for the detailed explanation :) you answered my question perfectly as to whether reddit can see how I use my phone through Infinity. Appreciate it heaps
