I broke my phone a few months ago and I hadn’t use a phone since I didn’t need it until now. I’m willing to buy one that’s around under 500$. I’m thinking of getting google pixel maybe, any recommendations?

    • @[email protected]M
      -2•3 years ago

      Pick a Fairphone, Xiaomi or Moto (check popular models on XDA for latter two). You can manage permissions, firewall apps off internet and install suspicious apps less, and you will have plenty security.

      If you want to increase your security further, make use of the Private Lock app on F-Droid, which instantly locks your phone based on accelerometer sensitivity you set, in case of someone snatching your phone.

      If you want to increase further security, learn OPSEC. https://lemmy.ml/post/34223 Do not get memed thinking this ROM with negligible post installation support can magically solve your privacy, security and anonymity woes.

      Security does not work like GrapheneOS maker thinks. Memory hardening and forced no GAPPS/microG sounds good from afar but what these people get memed into is called security theater, often an insecurity GrapheneOS users project onto others. There are multiple facets to privacy and anonymity as well, but I am not sure most of their userbase can even differentiate between the 3 terms now.

        • @[email protected]M
          -2•3 years ago

          Chinese phone has American hardware and Chinese software, the latter which you will remove. Will you be able to get rid of the greater hardware threat? This is a game these people will trap you into.

          I suggest getting familiar with OPSEC and educating yourselves with 101 security and privacy instead of playing into this geopolitics, contemporary xenophobia and security theater.

          • @[email protected]OP
            1•3 years ago

            hmm. what phone do you use personally then? I haven’t dipped much into privacy on phones. but I think you know more than I do. I’ll read your article later, I just want a good answer for now.

            • @[email protected]M
              -2•3 years ago

              My personal threat model is avoiding 14 Eyes surveillance, so I use Huawei P30 Lite, as I noted in my smartphone guide (link I shared in a parent comment).

              Huawei’s hardware according to BlackHat Pwn2Own 2017-2020, has been largely safe on par with “secure” Pixels. See page 5 of PDF for phonemaker brands. https://github.com/secmob/TiYunZong-An-Exploit-Chain-to-Remotely-Root-Modern-Android-Devices/raw/master/us-20-Gong-TiYunZong-An-Exploit-Chain-to-Remotely-Root-Modern-Android-Devices.pdf

              I have de-corporation-ified it and the closed source apps WhatsApp and Discord are sandboxed into Work Profile. All other apps I use are FOSS, and the whole phone is tunneled through NetGuard with 1.3M HOSTS rules blocking. Android/AOSP’s VPN Lockdown feature stays on to prevent any traffic leakage.

              For VPN, I am part of Riseup Collective so I use that.

              This is not a comment to tell you that you should use Huawei, just an answer to your first question. As for your query here…

              I suggest going through my OPSEC and smartphone guides so that you can formulate your own threat model and enjoy a secure, private life without falling for FUD.