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I have committed a terrible crime...

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Psilosopher?

Psilosopher?

Don't Panic
Senior Member
OG Pioneer
Senior member
...

I have bought a smartphone. *shudder*. I truly despise these things with a fury of a thousand suns. My old phone was not receiving or making calls at random, which sort of defeats the purpose of the phone.


So i have had to cave in, and become a smartphone pleb.


Nexians, what can i do on this thing to make it not track me? I don't want any garbage personalisation, i just want to call, text, and check emails. What steps can i make to make my data secure on these horrid devices that control all of humanity?
 
My android is flashed with paranoid OS. I purposely left out Gapps(the google app suite) and instead oppted for the F-droid package manager. I use the duckduckgo browser(Tor would be nice if you can stomach the speed) with a VPN. I keep my phone in a Faraday bag when not in use.

You can also use disk encryption but that be can abit finicky.

The added benifiet of not having the google app store is that I can't download dumb apps that waste time. I also have a 16 digit passcode to disincentivize the use of my phone.

These are just some basic things you can do. I'm sure there are some security experts on here that can give you some better pointers.

If your friends and families comply you can use pgp over text or other secure communication methods.
 

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Psilosopher? said:
...

So i have had to cave in, and become a smartphone pleb.
Click to expand...

You didn't have to do that. You could have bought a phone just does phone calls, texts and , at a push, take poor quality photographs.

You are weak and have let the side down badly.....
 
Banjahinaz said:
My android is flashed with paranoid OS. I purposely left out Gapps(the google app suite) and instead oppted for the F-droid package manager. I use the duckduckgo browser(Tor would be nice if you can stomach the speed) with a VPN. I keep my phone in a Faraday bag when not in use.

You can also use disk encryption but that be can abit finicky.

The added benifiet of not having the google app store is that I can't download dumb apps that waste time. I also have a 16 digit passcode to disincentivize the use of my phone.

These are just some basic things you can do. I'm sure there are some security experts on here that can give you some better pointers.

If your friends and families comply you can use pgp over text or other secure communication methods.
Click to expand...

Thanks, some tips here that is useful.



dragonrider said:
Just don't take it with you. Only use it to call, text or check e-mails.
Click to expand...

How is this useful at all? It defeats the purpose of a portable phone. I need it to be contactable by work.


hug46 said:
Psilosopher? said:
...

So i have had to cave in, and become a smartphone pleb.
Click to expand...

You didn't have to do that. You could have bought a phone just does phone calls, texts and , at a push, take poor quality photographs.

You are weak and have let the side down badly.....
Click to expand...

I have bought a plethora of phones just like that. They all have become redundant at an extraordinary rate. Manufacturers don't see market potential in dumbphones, so they do not make them with modern specifications. The reception quality is lousy, the charger adapter is often archaic and difficult to find replacements or borrow a cable off someone. If there is a manufacturer who makes dumbphones for the current age, i'd be all over it.

I've been using a phone like that for at least 4 years. Not being able to call or receive calls at random was my issue. Had this not arisen, i'd still be using it.
 
Psilosopher? said:
I need it to be contactable by work............................................................................................The reception quality is lousy, the charger adapter is often archaic and difficult to find replacements or borrow a cable off someone.
Click to expand...

These are poor excuses. Your luddite status has been forthwith revoked.
 
Old Nokias are great, I still have one along with my Nexus 5 smartphone.
The Nokia keeps its charge for a week. I use it without a SIM card: as a calendar / organizer (it works offline!) and music player.

Smartphones are great too, the only thing I don't like about them is their size and how often they need to be charged.
I use my Nexus 5 now to make / receive calls (it's cheaper to use than the Nokia, because I was on an expensive tariff with the Nokia and they don't sell SIM cards for non-smart phones these days anymore so I can't get better rates), to text and - of course - for data. I don't like browsing the internet on the phone and usually wait until I get home and can do the same job on the computer, but sometimes it's good to be able to browse on-the-go, e.g. when I'm in a store considering buying a plant or some other product and need to research it. Another big use case is Google Maps; it's a great help when I need to find a particular place or research the area.

I don't usually use email on my phone, because the email app is heavily limited (e.g. I can't mark posts as unread). Most smartphone apps and websites are limited (and different) compared to the desktop version and that's a real bummer. Another example is mobile Chrome, which doesn't allow you to install add-ons.
So to save myself the nerves and swearing, I just avoid using them and wait until I get home so I can use the desktop version with all the original features.
eBay and Facebook are limited too, but at least you can open the full-functionality desktop version in a browser. There may be no official way, but there are hacks, like sending fake browser ID with the HTTP requests.
 
First off, remember that even if you turn off all the tracking, you are still being tracked, read that fine print. ;)

As stated above if you can flash to a better OS and remove Gapps and all the bloatware this is ideal. Some phones can and some cannot be flashed, you can find information for your specific phone over at the xda developers forums. Get at me in chat if you have any questions about it. Note that rooting/jailbreaking will void your warranty.

Keep your location services turned off when not in use. Go in and change the location setting to not be highly accurate (just use gps and not gps + devices around you). Disable microphone, camera, and all that when not in use. Disable/remove any and all bloatware that you can. Turn off notifications for everything besides maybe your email/messages/phone calls. Get an app for your VPN and make sure you route all your traffic through there. Get a good web browser and the appropriate extensions (I like firefox with https everywhere, ublock origin, and privacy badger at bare minimum). Use your secured browser instead of apps wherever you can, this will block ads and minimize tracking.

Smartphones are amazing tools if used wisely, they are also a huge dopamine trap and far surpass any drug known in addictive potential if you (ab)use them in that way.

Be sure and download a blue light blocker for the nighttime, I use twilight on android. Also, get a good meditation app, I like the insight timer.

Welcome to the 21st century, we've been waiting for you. 8)
 
Psilosopher? said:
I have bought a smartphone. *shudder*. I truly despise these things with a fury of a thousand suns. My old phone was not receiving or making calls at random, which sort of defeats the purpose of the phone.

So i have had to cave in, and become a smartphone pleb.

Nexians, what can i do on this thing to make it not track me? I don't want any garbage personalisation, i just want to call, text, and check emails. What steps can i make to make my data secure on these horrid devices that control all of humanity?

I have bought a plethora of phones [...] they all have become redundant at an extraordinary rate. Manufacturers don't see market potential in dumbphones, so they do not make them with modern specifications. The reception quality is lousy, the charger adapter is often archaic and difficult to find replacements or borrow a cable off someone. If there is a manufacturer who makes dumbphones for the current age, i'd be all over it.

I've been using a phone like that for at least 4 years. Not being able to call or receive calls at random was my issue. Had this not arisen, i'd still be using it.
Click to expand...
Is the true reason you bought a smartphone that all non smartphones you chose failed on quality? I believe there must be plenty of phones made for the senior age market that are of good quality. Reading up on comparisons and reviews online should enable you to pick the right one.

Is the only reason you despise smartphones because you don't need all the functionalities and tons of apps? Meaning you are looking for a super basic yet good and modern phone. Check this:
www.indiegogo.com

Light Phone 2

A simple 4G phone with e-ink, messaging & other essential tools—a phone that actually respects you. | Check out 'Light Phone 2' on Indiegogo.
www.indiegogo.com www.indiegogo.com

Is the only reason you despise smartphones due to privacy concerns? Meaning if privacy was sorted, you wouldn't have anything against them? Check this:

Purism– Librem 5

Introducing the – Librem 5 by Purism
puri.sm puri.sm

My first smartphone was the first iPhone which started the whole revolution. Almost no one had a smartphone at the time. Except Blueberries, but those weren't real smartphones in my opinion (no true app store). In the beginning every time people saw my phone, most told me why they thought they didn't need one. "The battery runs out too fast, just check email on a laptop, etc." As the years progressed more and more people started owning smartphones. There were always people who didn't have one yet, stating their reasons not to, but eventually they got one and never went back. The group with their statements not to own one grew smaller and smaller. Congratulations, you were one of the last men standing. A true smartphone laggard.

330px-Diffusion_of_ideas.svg.png


I notice you forgot to mention one important reason which makes owning smartphones problematic: they are super addictive! Save your soul, sell your smartphone and get a dumb one now you still can.
 
RhythmSpring said:
^ How do we know these people aren't lying?
Click to expand...
This is what open source is all about. No secrets, no proprietary information, no hidden backdoors. Anyone can inspect (and also improve via git, etc) the coding and functionality.

But this is a newly funded independent startup project, and if we've learned anything at all, the silicon valley megaliths buy these privacy focused startups right up and quash them thoroughly, lest it interfere with their data harvesting.
 
Cactus Man said:
I am glad to know I have never done this even though it makes most people think im insane.

#neversmartphones
#neversmartanything
Click to expand...


Agreed.

If you're uncomfortable or paranoid bc you think your smartphone is going to cause trouble, you have absolutely no business with one.

Plenty of legitimate businesses still use flip phones, nokias, etc.

I prefer a flip phone I can snap if need be.
 
Now you only have to worry about the RFID chip in your debit card, the facial recognition cameras on every stoplight, the gps and cellular signals your dumbphone puts off, and the hundreds of other subtle ways you are being tracked

and you don't even get google maps traffic updates as consolation. :p
 
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