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Reddit discussion on this topic: https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/cje7vg/dont_use_pureos_or_the_librem_5/ https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/cj

• RandomBacon 7y ago
  Not exactly on this topic as it appears to be a hit-piece about the company making the phone. There's been a few hit-piece comments here on HN made by new accounts on other Librem 5 posts too. Anyway, I'm not an expert about most of that stuff, but they wrote: > They aren't shipping firmware updates. Uh... the phone hasn't even been released yet!
  • detaro 7y ago
    They have ensured by design that what remains of proprietary firmware on the phone can't be updated, because they want a FSF Free hardware certification, and that's the only way to get that and have non-free firmware components. Not updateable non-free firmware is tolerated as being "part of the hardware" in a way, updateable firmware is software and required to be open.
    • RandomBacon 7y ago
      Which proprietary firmware?
      • detaro 7y ago
        Parts of the memory interface have been mentioned previously: https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-solving-the-first-fsf-ryf-hurdle/ https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-solving-the-first-fsf-ryf-hurd... Similarly, they seem to have choosen the Wifi and Bluetooth chips as well because they have no downloadable firmware, and the isolation for the baseband probably ensures the same there: https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-2018-09-hardware-report/ https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-2018-09-hardware-report/ If those would have meaningful updates is a good question, and clearly it only applies to some of the firmware, but I suspect that's what the exagerated original claim is based on.
        • RandomBacon 7y ago
          Okay, thank you. Is there any way to mitigate this if one wants to keep Wifi and Bluetooth? I guess if one really wanted to be pure then, they could just keep the second (of three, see below) hardware switches off, and even possibly de-solder a connection, to ensure they aren't accidently flipped on. Hardware Switches: - cameras and microphone - WiFi and Bluetooth - cellular baseband (When all three switches are off, power is also killed to sensors a la "Lockdown Mode")
          • jmkb 7y ago
            > When all three switches are off, power is also killed to sensors a la "Lockdown Mode" Personally, with all these switches off, I'd still want GPS for offline navigation.
            • RandomBacon 7y ago
              Maybe there are two contacts you could bridge. Are you good with a soldering iron?
          • kd3 7y ago
            People: So how much security and privacy will we have on the Librem 5? Purism: Yes.
          • batoure 7y ago
            this article is probably worth reading. https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-solving-the-first-fsf-ryf-hurdle/ https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-solving-the-first-fsf-ryf-hurd... Purism can't guarantee someone won't try to flash that firmware. so the best solution they came up with was to create a parallel chip to store the firmware they have vetted to be safe and to overwrite the modem or wifi firmware with their version of the binaries anytime a change to the other firmware is pushed through
• rrix2 7y ago
  If you're going to boil anything, it better be the ocean, eh?