[linux] anyone using a privacy-protecting cell phone
Hello Linux hive-mind - A non-tech friend is trying to get out from under Apple and set up her cell phone and computers without Microsoft, Google, or Apple looking over her shoulder. She is concerned about tracking and privacy. I can give her help with her future Linux desktop, but I don't even own a cell phone so I can't advise on "Linux" cell phones (or any kind of cell phones). Anyone out there in Linux-land with experience they are willing to share using a cell phone with good privacy that doesn't track you? -- | Ian! D. Allen, BA, MMath - idal...@idallen.ca - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Home: www.idallen.com Contact Improvisation Dance: www.contactimprov.ca | Former college professor (Free/Libre GNU+Linux) at: teaching.idallen.com | Defend digital freedom: http://eff.org/ and have fun: http://fools.ca/ To unsubscribe send a blank message to linux+unsubscr...@linux-ottawa.org To get help send a blank message to linux+h...@linux-ottawa.org To visit the archives: https://lists.linux-ottawa.org
[linux] recommend a 4 bay hot-swap chassis?
Hey folks, I have a couple of these and was looking for another one but seems they are no longer available. They go nicely into a tower case and provide cheap drive hot-swap capabilities on a Linux server. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00DGZ42SM I think they were only about $80 each when I bought them. Anyone have a recommendation for something similar? I've been searching around and not much coming up. thanks, -Alan -- "You should sit in nature for 20 minutes a day. Unless you are busy, then you should sit for an hour" - Zen Proverb To unsubscribe send a blank message to linux+unsubscr...@linux-ottawa.org To get help send a blank message to linux+h...@linux-ottawa.org To visit the archives: https://lists.linux-ottawa.org
Re: [linux] anyone using a privacy-protecting cell phone
I've been lurking here for awhile and have no idea how to use the mailing list so please excuse me if I've made a mistake. On 2021-01-22 1:15 p.m., Ian! D. Allen wrote: > Hello Linux hive-mind - > > A non-tech friend is trying to get out from under Apple and set up her > cell phone and computers without Microsoft, Google, or Apple looking > over her shoulder. She is concerned about tracking and privacy. > > I can give her help with her future Linux desktop, but I don't even > own a cell phone so I can't advise on "Linux" cell phones (or any kind > of cell phones). > > Anyone out there in Linux-land with experience they are willing to share > using a cell phone with good privacy that doesn't track you? I own 3 PinePhones now https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/ They're a good cheap Linux phone that has nothing to do with Apple or Google. However, they're not ready for non-tech users and can be considered "beta". They just recently got the phone to sleep correctly giving you more than 2 hours of battery time. On top of this, things like MMSes dont work out of the box, browsing the web is quite clunky. I am hopeful for their future so maybe keep an eye on them? I also use a Google Pixel3 with GrapheneOS. https://grapheneos.org/ but any android device that supports an ASOP rom (For example LineageOS without gapps) should be pretty dependable. If you do go with the Pixel devices you have to get it directly from google, which may not be ideal. The ones from carriers (telus, rogers, etc) are locked so you cant install other roms. Cheers, Andrew 0xBBC21B02889AEF4F.asc Description: application/pgp-keys
Re: [linux] anyone using a privacy-protecting cell phone
On Fri, 22 Jan 2021 13:15:52 -0500 "Ian! D. Allen" wrote: > Anyone out there in Linux-land with experience they are willing to > share using a cell phone with good privacy that doesn't track you? Does your friend need a smartphone? If all she needs is a phone that can make calls and do basic texting, then maybe a dumb phone along the lines of one of these will do the trick: https://www.cellphones.ca/cell-phones/p/best-basic-phone-10094/ Regards, Dianne. To unsubscribe send a blank message to linux+unsubscr...@linux-ottawa.org To get help send a blank message to linux+h...@linux-ottawa.org To visit the archives: https://lists.linux-ottawa.org
Re: [linux] anyone using a privacy-protecting cell phone
On Fri, 22 Jan 2021, Ian! D. Allen wrote: Anyone out there in Linux-land with experience they are willing to share using a cell phone with good privacy that doesn't track you? Cell phone? Privacy? Doesn't track you? Ha, thanks for the laugh on a Friday! Actually, that's not entirely true. An Apple cell phone might be a bit private if you don't install most apps, don't enable the GPS receiver, also disable app location access, and don't install a SIM card to access the cell phone network unless you want to be subjected to police and MIB's stingrays and court-approved production orders. Then run wifi (only) over your own private VPN, and block Apple server connections on that. If you want to use the cell phone for voice calls, install something like Groundwire (VOIP softphone) and send your comms to the telephone networks -- however private that is. not. This is what I do. For those using Apple phones, I highly recommend running Firefox with tracking protection at the highest level. Mozilla Focus is a great adjunct, which also seems to block the Ottawa Citizen and other sites' RTSP video. (I am always pleased when I pull up a Youtube video on my phone and YT recommends kids shows and pop culture crap.) I'm not an Apple fan in partcular but it was a significantly better privacy starting point than Android, which is built from the bottom up to spy on users. Some day I'll get a cheap rootable android phone and install something more secure on that too. Of course all this is still not private. Or get a pinephone then log into Facebook all the time and use Google for your search engine and Google maps for route planning. For good measure, register your Presto card with your name and financial info. Or save the hassle and just get a modern motor vehicle with extensive tracking and reporting built in! As a lifelong cyclist I never imagined the day where riding a bike would be one the most untrackable ways to travel besides walking. Be sure to use your rewards card and pay with your debit or credit card too. To keep this really Linux-focussed, for those of you who don't know yet Ubuntu was booted to the full gnome desktop on an iPhone 7 about 10 days ago, although it is not fully functional yet (early days). https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/kvmsfd/success_iphone_7_booting_ubuntu_2004_to_full/ But then: "broadband processor". https://www.extremetech.com/computing/170874-the-secret-second-operating-system-that-could-make-every-mobile-phone-insecure Anyway, why would your friend not want to be "tracked" given all the benefits that a customized and highly networked experience brings. Do they have something to hide? To unsubscribe send a blank message to linux+unsubscr...@linux-ottawa.org To get help send a blank message to linux+h...@linux-ottawa.org To visit the archives: https://lists.linux-ottawa.org
Re: [linux] anyone using a privacy-protecting cell phone
While I haven't looked at all the small low-end phones out there so I can't say if this is true of all of them - my flip-phone is low-powered but still a "smartphone". It is the Alcatel Myflip mumble405thing and runs KaiOS rather than Android or iOS. It has a browser and if you wait long enough it loads most pages (even ones with javascript). Also some other apps like contacts, notes, music/podcast player, calculator, SMS/messaging, radio, etc. So - just because it's a flipphone doesn't mean it's not capable of smartphone stuff. On the plus side - it seems to only run one app at a time : -) so maybe it will slow down the big corporation trackers. Heh. Not sure about the "not tracking you" but for "physically modular" and "repairable by end user" you can look for the fairphone. Last I heard they only sold in Europe though. Eww, I see they now have one of those odious "dim-the-page-till-the-user-agrees-to- accept-the-cookie-policy" pages. Given corporations use other tech to track people now - I wish those cookie warnings would go away. bjb To unsubscribe send a blank message to linux+unsubscr...@linux-ottawa.org To get help send a blank message to linux+h...@linux-ottawa.org To visit the archives: https://lists.linux-ottawa.org
Re: [linux] anyone using a privacy-protecting cell phone
> Hello Linux hive-mind - > > Anyone out there in Linux-land with experience they are willing to share > using a cell phone with good privacy that doesn't track you? This request eventually reminded me about the Purism phone: https://puri.sm/ which purports to be a ground-up phone OS designed for privacy. I have not bought it but maybe I should. I was under the impression that the person who started the company was in Toronto but they are based in the States now. But that is a vague memory and may be entirely false. They don't have social media icons. Their web page (front page) is served from one server (impressive!). They have a warrant canary page and two people gpg-sign a message for that page on a monthly basis. Looks legit. I'm guessing they are expensive as they are not subsidized by Big Tech. Haven't seen prices yet. bjb To unsubscribe send a blank message to linux+unsubscr...@linux-ottawa.org To get help send a blank message to linux+h...@linux-ottawa.org To visit the archives: https://lists.linux-ottawa.org
Re: [linux] anyone using a privacy-protecting cell phone
When I had a real android smartphone, I put LineageOS (previously CyanogenMod) on it. So it was less offensive than plain android. But unless you were willing to muck about with apk packaging, you had to use the Google Play store. It was a bit of a pain to find and install apk packages. Not all phones can run it. I researched and bought phones that could run it. I also put ClockWorkMod as the recovery image. It worked well. bjb To unsubscribe send a blank message to linux+unsubscr...@linux-ottawa.org To get help send a blank message to linux+h...@linux-ottawa.org To visit the archives: https://lists.linux-ottawa.org
Re: [linux] anyone using a privacy-protecting cell phone
On Sat, Jan 23, 2021 at 12:48:53AM -0500, Brenda J. Butler wrote: > But unless you were > willing to muck about with apk packaging, you had to use the Google Play > store. I am wrong! There is FDroid. I had forgotten. bjb To unsubscribe send a blank message to linux+unsubscr...@linux-ottawa.org To get help send a blank message to linux+h...@linux-ottawa.org To visit the archives: https://lists.linux-ottawa.org
Re: [linux] anyone using a privacy-protecting cell phone
On Sat, Jan 23, 2021 at 12:48:53AM -0500, Brenda J. Butler wrote: > I also put ClockWorkMod as the recovery image. It worked well. Oh man - another correction. I settled on TWRP – an alternative to ClockworkMod Recovery bjb To unsubscribe send a blank message to linux+unsubscr...@linux-ottawa.org To get help send a blank message to linux+h...@linux-ottawa.org To visit the archives: https://lists.linux-ottawa.org
Re: [linux] anyone using a privacy-protecting cell phone
Here's the Toronto company: https://copperhead.co/#hardware bjb To unsubscribe send a blank message to linux+unsubscr...@linux-ottawa.org To get help send a blank message to linux+h...@linux-ottawa.org To visit the archives: https://lists.linux-ottawa.org