Thanks for all the clips. Long ago I worked at a cell phone games company, and then I wrote some code to monitor network traffic on the device just to see if I could, used “adb” to download apps and poke around on the device in general, so I do have some experience - but its a bit dated. (Checking) Turns out I still have adb (“android debug bridge”) on my laptop, which I haven’t used in a while.
I worry somewhat about the under-the-OS firmware providing “features” that will remain regardless of what OS is loaded - but graphene would get rid of the AI crap and maybe 80% of the monitoring.
I have a samsung phone or two lying around I can try this on. I’ll go through the thread later when I have more free time to experiment.
[added] I have a fair amount of phone-tech experience - but it is dated, and I haven’t experimented with uploading different operating systems. Its really nice to have some how-tos that people have used that work. When I try them out in a week or so, I’ll describe how it went for me.
I totally agree that for non-tech people or people with real jobs and lots of stuff to do, having someone else do this for you is the way to go.
Some say the GPS is never off. The phone asking you for your location is just the corporate oligarchs shitting in your face. They know where you are, all the time. (Sorry about the language.) You can’t turn it off as you could a decade ago. (Maybe.)
When I travel, my iPhone is always suggesting local restaurants I might want to eat at, local sights to see, local places to visit, local hotels to stay at. “Did they cook your hamburger the way you like it? Medium?” If my iPhone was a person I would have taken out a restraining order against it a long, long, time ago.
I’ve had a cellphone since 1986 (always for business). In 1993 my company issued me a full time cellphone. For over 20-years my clients and the company were calling me 24/7. Then, and always on a Friday, the call would come: “We know you worked last weekend and were supposed to be off this weekend, but something just came up.” 20-years of this crap.
When I stopped working, I had my own iPhone for a while but later dumped it. Too expensive. I bought a prepaid. I only use the cellphone for vacations, travel and major holidays.
The stories I could tell you. The shit never ends.
I am not a big fan of Verizon. And now that Verizon Communications has bought Spectrum things are only going to get worse. Of course. When the only way these companies can make money is by charging you for what used to be free, or by breaking the laws (that are never enforced anymore), that’s not doing business. That’s giving you the business.
I remember reading somewhere that the SIM card is technically also a “computer chip running code you cannot see/control/audit.”
So a smart phone is really three computers only one of which you can control with the OS
I dont think there is any practical way to get Graphene running on anything other than a pixel. Or if there is, its unsupported to the point that you wouldn’t want it for anything more than an experiment.
My sense of US pricing is poor but the numbers on the Above Phone site look reasonable enough that yeah, even I would probably just buy from them. My threat model is not one of actually hiding (at least not yet).
I will look more into their laptop offering too. Ubuntu runs on my HP laptop but there are no drivers for some proprietary things and sleep/wake is a gongshow that in turn leads to corruption.
My use of a laptop is a glorified tablet with keyboard anyway so this would be a good way forward.
I started de-googling phones on my own after the 2020 election. It had been clear to me that big tech was biased for some time but the election broke a lot of trust when I discovered big tech was activist. I’ve used several degoogled and open source OSs on phones including LineageOS, CalyxOS and GrapheneOS. I’ve installed them on at least 12 models and 5 manufacturers. I even learned to build the Lineage OS.
They all have puts and takes but I’m currently with graphene. I like many of the features including sandboxing and faking access to applications.
There is a learning curve even for Android users. It’s not huge but it’s there. That’s where I think Above’s value proposition is. Yes you can buy your own phone and install it fairly easily with graphene but you need to make sure the phone bootloader can be unlocked. If you don’t follow what I’m saying you’d better learn it before you buy a phone or you are going to have to try to return it. The other value proposition Above provides is teaching you how to transition from your current phone and use a degoogled phone. Many concepts are the same but the apps are a little different and candidly a little less reliable.
In summary I didn’t buy a phone from Above because I really enjoy tinkering with them but for those who don’t have the time to invest I think Above is a great option. I did purchase the Suite and pretty happy so far.
I tended to buy my own smart phones as unlocked phones the. Use a prepaid service for between 35 and 55 a month depending on my data needs at any given time. When I went to spectrum and bundled my cell phone with home Internet and a voip line that acts like a landline phone so my declining husband can make calls the old school way, the cell only costs me 30 a month.
Didn’t listened video yet but it seems like it came the right time(at least for me) since I really need new phone, I’d like it to be more private, so I’m not tracked all the time, but I’m out of this world non techy…, I mean dinosaur non techy… Most people here saying they’re not tech savvy would be galaxy more tech then me… So I’m looking forward to this video and discussion here…
Thank you
Starting in 2014, I decided to only use free and open source software. I can’t think of a single mainstream (proprietary) app that doesn’t have a better or equivilant open source version. For years it’s urked me to see all my favourite podcasters using Windows or Apple (when they screen share), ironically when my favourite podcasters often talk about privacy. If anyone has an old laptop, I’d strongly recommend installing Linux and giving it a try. Debian or Ubuntu are the best for starters. One aspect most people will be surprised by is how much faster your machine is and how much longer the battery lasts (phone or laptop). I use 6 year phone with AOSP (de-googled android) and a 2012 MacBook Pro running Debian. Both perform as good as new. Once your initiated into the security and privacy of open source software, you’ll wonder why any and all government offices aren’t unsing it at any level.
You are assuming that these companies are honoring their agreements. Privacy is just a product to them. Mixing things like privacy and product is like mixing friends and money. It’s ALL oil and water.
With all due respect, Dave (and I mean it), you’re talking like a crazy person. The only way for more secure anything (at this point), is for more CEOs, like that Healthcare CEO, to get shot in the face.
It was just over a year ago that Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, was killed outside of a Manhattan hotel. And nothing has changed.
UnitedHealthcare plans have not changed. You think Brian Thompson, looking down the silencer of that gun would have backed down, said something, like: “Well, you’re right. We could be better corporate citizens than we currently are.” No. Nothing has changed.
“Thousands of Tri-State patients are caught in the middle of a heated contract dispute between TriHealth and UnitedHealthcare that could result in significantly higher medical costs if the companies don’t reach an agreement by Dec. 31.”
My health care costs are going up in 2026. Significantly. Fortunately, I can still get coverage. Many have lost theirs.
I am not advocating violence. Good luck with trying that case though, with everybody being on the shooter’s side. You back people into a corner (health care in the United States and prescriptions cost more here than anywhere else – in the world), and people are going to do more than futilely push back against spike proteins.
If you have a good distro, the other thing that will amaze you is being able to install the OS, all drivers and an entire library of software with only one or perhaps two at worst restarts, and this in mere minutes.
How much of any of this is available / functional outside North America?
FWIW, my simplistic tactic is not to carry a mobile phone with me anywhere. Life is quite possible without one — so far. Maybe the day will dawn when if I am detected as being present in a public space (e.g. park, art gallery) or a privatised space (e.g. shopping centre, stadium) and am not carrying an active tracking device, then I will be penalised in some way.
Ah, the myth of constant, irresistible, beneficial progress: how sweet it is, er, was.
If people are curious, then have a look at the XDA forums. There are quite a few smart people there developing Google-free versions of Android for a wide range of devices.
The downside of course, is that if you don’t have the skills to make your own ROM you’re then at the mercy of waiting for someone else doing it for you. (And there are enough phones out there that never get a custom ROM.)
Good question, where’s Hakeem? If I did an interview w/ Chris, I’d at least do a drive by, to check out the comments (and maybe he’s here?).
They are nice for traveling, checking in with family, contacting your friend living up some road in BFE. The higher up you are in elevation above the valleys/canyons/arroyos, the better chance you have at radio communications.
How did we ever survive w/o cell phones? We must have been heathens?
Yea, don’t nail me too hard, I know many have busy companies, and spawn who need attention. To each their own.
Agreed, who knows? I’m wondering if we’ll even make it that far (in all political jurisdictions). Edit: Oh, the mark of the beast?
I think I did research the Above Phone last summer along with sunbeamwireless (hey some of their phones are Kosher), but settled on the Mudita Kompakt. All I really need is talk-n-text (for $15/mo.), and with the E-Ink display, a “Faraday cage” button (offline+ mode), and long (VERY long) battery life, the Kompakt fit my bill. It’s off 90% of the time.
My Kompakt is for emergencies and travel.
Graphene OS does interest me for my next laptop/desktop though.
I am struggling getting all of my data off of Samsung phone(s). I want my notes! I want my text messages, etc. That is, all the stuff that either gets transferred in Samsung’s proprietary phone switching app or which gets added to the landfill and you just sigh and say, “Oh well.”
All the commercial pathways to hack and get at my own data are legally cut off. You would think vendors would abound in most cities to deal with data migration just as there are vendors who work on cracked screens.
There are services that can deep dive into our phones - but they are “law enforcement only”! Hah, well law enforcement and well resourced politically connected only.
No consumer-level solutions. Just like un-liking, un-friending, and deleting every single Facebook post - which I did with a script 14 years ago - you would think there would be an evolving open source project to handle this, but no. The regulatory system has deprived us of our collective ability to control our own data.
I’ll chime in so you don’t feel too alone. I have never had nor wanted a cell phone. The more I hear about them the more satisfied I am with my decision to not go down that road. I have zero doubt that I would be just as addicted to them as anyone else if I ever did get one, so I’m not going there.
I have never had nor wanted a cell phone. The more I hear about them the more satisfied I am with my decision to not go down that road. I have zero doubt that I would be just as addicted to them as anyone else if I ever did get one, so I’m not going there.