Everything about privacy (the confidentiality pillar of security) -- but not restricted to infosec. Offline privacy is also relevant here.
File under: Privacy is a basic human right, on constant assault by #BigTech.
Today I learned that several #Android apps have decided to ban the use of "non-Google" approved OSes.
Post by @Sunny@slrpnk.net on #Lemmy: "Revolut, McDonald's, and Authy have banned the use of GrapheneOS"
I find this really troubling. I don't care about McDonalds or Authy. But banking! I'm a Revolut customer and I was considering switching to a Pixel 9 with #GrapheneOS. This is chilling.
#privacy
@_elena@mastodon.social @Sunny@slrpnk.net
Isn't only reason that any of these apps worked before that Graphene included Google Play services in the first place?
@_elena@mastodon.social @Sunny@slrpnk.net do it anyway. buy a low end samsung phone (not xiaomi as they track like a lot more and the interface is annoying), put a firewall and use revolut in there. don't forget to put it to a vpn and dns and yeah, that's all. modern burner phone
If your bank app refuses to run under #CustomROM change the Bank.
I for one use only CustomROM (LineageOS, /e/OS, iodéOS, VollaOS) and don't have problems with banking apps.
I would never buy or use a device designed and produced by #Google. 🤮
@Sunny@slrpnk.net
@_elena@mastodon.social @Sunny@slrpnk.net One option to get around that is to use your browser to sign into your bank. It's not as convenient but it works well enough. Have you considered that option?
@_elena@mastodon.social @Sunny@slrpnk.net Unfortunately, I am also a Revolut bank user, I sent them a complaint that I do not want Google on my phone, so that they should respect my decision and allow me to continue using the app, even though I have pure Android. I gave them a rating of 1 on Google Play because it takes away my right to use the app.
#privacy #grapheneos #myrights #degoogle
@_elena@mastodon.social @Sunny@slrpnk.net From a privacy point of view you are often best off with a web site rather than an app (using, say, a browser like Mull). Not trying to oversimplify a somewhat complicated situation, but it is something I am trying to figure out as I try to map out a future which is more based on F-Droid and the like than the more closed alternatives.
@_elena@mastodon.social Privacy is also a necessary pillar for all democracies.
@_elena@mastodon.social I start to wonder if this is backwards. Big companies will always find a way to get the data if they want it. But it only has value if we allow it to. After all - what do they do with it? Advertise, badly? ... Which we can simply ignore, and let them waste their time and money.
@_elena@mastodon.social thanks for all your posts Elena! I love all you stand for in tech. Brilliant blog too!
@_elena@mastodon.social Fantastic book, but I can never do "big summaries" so I'll just post a picture of the book instead
Technology is both our friend & foe in this regards__because there are humans that are either our friend or foe. In other words, people that are just getting on with their lives in a generally honest way, or people whose agendas mean they seek to exploit others (inc. their data)
The latter is cronyism
It's in our own personal interests for, e.g., health professionals to access our personal health data (medical records). But, cronies use our personal data against us.
@_elena@mastodon.social so true...
!
#happy1984
let's watch our digital step and...
#hack back ?
put some color !
@_elena@mastodon.social
I just wanted to write "fully agree", but always beware of the extremes. Germany has learned the "don't give too much data to a central government" and has separated institutions and states.
The price is that we as citizens often have to give similar information to different institutions - and that can suck! "can't they just get the info from xyz". But that's the other side of the coin.
Everything comes by a price.
(this is not a "we must centralise" - just a "everything has a price")