Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.
In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.
much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)
Run as many open source apps as you can is about the best option. Also, OSMAND does provide turn-by-turn directions.
What it does not do well is street addresses, so at times you may find that you have to use the GPS coordinates of the place you are going to in order to get directions.
Maybe postmarketOS?
We are in war with big tech, why would anyone think they would just let us win without a fight.
Maps?
Use OsmAnd and MagicEarth? I've been doping it for years now. Works fine.
Comaps has been awesome for me
Also Theres comaps
I enjoy Organic Maps.
Comaps is the fork, we moved away from organic maps. You will find basically the same experience.
It is only slightly on topic, but I'd like to give a hateful shout out to Ticketmaster/Live Nation's new "mobile only" ticketed events that require you to have an iPhone or fully Google blessed Android phone. They do not allow you to use a QR code or printed ticket anymore, only their app with a constantly changing bare code or Google wallet (unsure of the IOS experience).
I am going to a concert this weekend and I either have to dig up some old phone that can work with this app or sell my tickets.
Someone recently crack their shit code. Can use offline app after extract secret once. Will link once find.
Edit: https://conduition.io/coding/ticketmaster/ app (javascript) https://github.com/conduition/ticketgimp
Just go to the box office when you get there and present an ID that matches the name the tickets were purchased under. Depending on the venue, they will either print your ticket or text you a link that opens a page in your browser that can be scanned.
Everything I've read is that they only offer accommodations to people during time of purchase, and even then you're basically at the mercy of the venue. I'm going to call them and see what I can do, but I don't have high hopes.
Of the largest android sellers, only samsung requires gplay. Xiaomi, vivo, oppo, realme, honor, are all chinese companies that require non-bundled google play for their domestic (and maybe other countries?) releases. Google can't alienate these sellers, and if they did, all of these companies would create their own AOSP fork (or just switch to HarmonyOS)
I recently bought a xiaomi android tablet that doesn't have google play services luckily.
If the goal is too swap one parasite for another, this is a valid strategy BUT
Custom ROM is the only proper solution, ideally GrapheneOS, if you actually care about security and privacy.
Hope EU puts pressure to make google allow apps to run independently without GMS or atleast install them as user apps(like graphene os sandboxed play services).
I doubt they will put any pressure. EU decided to rely on GMS for their upcoming Digital ID app. While they claim they want to switch to open source alternatives of big tech services, they designed their app so that it forces EU citizens to either comply with Google's ToS, or Apple's.
Related discussion: https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet/av-doc-technical-specification/issues/18
Damn we are stupid in the EU!
What do we want: digital sovereignty
When do we want it: ehrm.. Well.. We have some things in pipeline and it is really hard...
They know that NSA is directly spying on us and they don't care
Furthermore, they do not seem particularly open to criticism on this subject...
if you could just have read one more update on that issue, you would've seen that it is moved to a discussion post now
Well spotted, my bad!
The link the new discussion is here: https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet/av-doc-technical-specification/discussions/19
Linux phone operating systems aren't ready for daily use yet, but they are being actively developed. https://linmob.net/
we'd still have to deal with locked bootloaders and adoption.
I highly reccomend comaps which has turn-by-turn directions and doesn't require Google services.
EU won't be too friendly either given the nature of their recent identification app. You should still write to your legislators, but they're a mostly tech-illiterate bunch, so expect it to be a low ROI activity.
Really do consider donating to projects like GrapheneOS. The GrapheneOS team are a very passionate and clever group, and I'd like to think that they can at least give us something to work with, even if Google completely cuts the cord. Hopefully they can also secure an additional revenue stream once they release their own phone.
If it really does all fall through and there's no deGoogled way to run Android apps, I'll keep a separate phone, preferably with a removable battery, with regular Android just to host the proprietary apps. Treat it as a work phone, i.e. power off when not needed, don't connect to my main home network, don't do anything that doesn't need to be done on it. Proprietary apps only make up a small fraction of my mobile workflow, so everything else stays on another phone that respects my privacy.
I am thinking a tablet with Linux and a hotspot rather than phone number. Maybe supplement with a dumb phone in a Faraday bag for your phone, Iike on Swisscows.
they're a mostly tech-illiterate bunch
Y'all keep saying this.... These people are not stupid, they are corrupt. Start calling spade a spade. You are giving them something to hide behind jfc.
Yeah, this is a problem. I attempted to switch to GrapheneOS just a month ago and had to roll back to stock Android. One of my banking apps worked, but 3 others didn't. My 2FA app didn't work. I stopped receiving important texts as they were previously RCS and that refused to validate no matter what I did.
Google has made it extremely hard to degoogle.
One of my banking apps worked, but 3 others didn't.
Same issue, I just did web browser instead
My 2FA app didn't work.
I suggest just exporting and using a different 2FA app, especially an open source one like Aegis
I stopped receiving important texts as they were previously RCS and that refused to validate no matter what
RCS on GrapheneOS is very finicky and requires using AppOps to enable READ_DEVICE_IDENTIFIERS, and you have to let carrier services and google messages have more permissions to work. You also might have to deregister your previous phone to use the number (i.e. my old iPhone still had my number in the settings, had to remove it). There's a very long GrapheneOS thread about it, but the link should be the solution.
I suggest just exporting and using a different 2FA app, especially an open source one like Aegis
Authy dropped their desktop app and killed the ability to export. I will have to start from scratch, but I definitely plan to.
I spent a week with that discussion your linked plus several other posts, I just couldn't get it working. I might have better luck next time I try it though.