4 ms·

Get a phone that supports CyanogenMod. Sure, baseband still remains a blackbox and possibly backdoored, but at least you can get rid of most spyware/adware that

by kbart 10y ago

Get a phone that supports CyanogenMod. Sure, baseband still remains a blackbox and possibly backdoored, but at least you can get rid of most spyware/adware that comes preinstalled with Android. While we don't have fully open source OS with open drivers for smartphones, you cannot trust any manufacturer.

mnw21cam 10y ago
Or simply skip that step and get a phone that comes with CyanogenOS installed.
- kbart 10y ago
  How do you know then that CyanogenOS itself was not modified to include unwanted software?
  - dandelion_lover 10y ago
    I guess one could believe the commercial companies whose revenue depends on the trust and on the ethics, such as https://tehnoetic.com/mobile-devices https://tehnoetic.com/mobile-devices.
    - jlgaddis 10y ago
      Like this exact article/submission that we're all commenting on, where a commercial company did exactly that?
      - dandelion_lover 10y ago
        Not exactly. I would not say their revenue depended on ethics...
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
jwfxpr 10y ago
Baseband concerns are legitimate. A good tinfoil hat approach is to use an iPod touch running an end-to-end encrypted messaging/calling app of your choice, connected to a secure hotspot. Cuts out most baseband vulnerabilities (since your data is encrypted before touching any hardware or software connected to a potentially compromised baseband). All other concerns raised elsewhere here still apply, but the baseband threat is mitigated. Worth it...? Check that threat model again.
- kbart 10y ago
  "A good tinfoil hat approach is to use an iPod touch running an end-to-end encrypted messaging/calling app of your choice, connected to a secure hotspot." Yes, but it's not much of a phone if it's WiFi only. You could use any laptop for such scenario as well.
  - jwfxpr 10y ago
    You could, though the attack surface on a laptop is arguably much larger than that on an iPod. And considering most security-conscious users are unlikely to use a classical cellular phone call for a sensitive conversation, it's actually pretty comparable to a phone, considering your hotspot can be as dumb as you like. An iPod + a prepaid portable hotspot is a damn sight more usable on the go than a laptop.

by kbart 10y ago

mnw21cam 10y ago

Or simply skip that step and get a phone that comes with CyanogenOS installed.

kbart 10y ago
How do you know then that CyanogenOS itself was not modified to include unwanted software?
- dandelion_lover 10y ago
  I guess one could believe the commercial companies whose revenue depends on the trust and on the ethics, such as https://tehnoetic.com/mobile-devices https://tehnoetic.com/mobile-devices.
  - jlgaddis 10y ago
    Like this exact article/submission that we're all commenting on, where a commercial company did exactly that?
    - dandelion_lover 10y ago
      Not exactly. I would not say their revenue depended on ethics...
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]

jwfxpr 10y ago

Baseband concerns are legitimate. A good tinfoil hat approach is to use an iPod touch running an end-to-end encrypted messaging/calling app of your choice, connected to a secure hotspot. Cuts out most baseband vulnerabilities (since your data is encrypted before touching any hardware or software connected to a potentially compromised baseband). All other concerns raised elsewhere here still apply, but the baseband threat is mitigated. Worth it...? Check that threat model again.

kbart 10y ago
"A good tinfoil hat approach is to use an iPod touch running an end-to-end encrypted messaging/calling app of your choice, connected to a secure hotspot." Yes, but it's not much of a phone if it's WiFi only. You could use any laptop for such scenario as well.
- jwfxpr 10y ago
  You could, though the attack surface on a laptop is arguably much larger than that on an iPod. And considering most security-conscious users are unlikely to use a classical cellular phone call for a sensitive conversation, it's actually pretty comparable to a phone, considering your hotspot can be as dumb as you like. An iPod + a prepaid portable hotspot is a damn sight more usable on the go than a laptop.