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this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2024
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Privacy
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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.
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.
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Really? That's your concern? People seeing you use a Google phone? Just put a case on it ffs, no one cares that much about the phone you use. With a case, basically all modern smartphones look the exact same.
Every excuse in the world to keep using products brought to us by the enemy of privacy. This is why there are so few options.
And yes, that’s part of my concern. Even if others don’t notice, I still know. I still would be a hypocrite, railing on google for their bullshit, and then still using their products.
I’m not really judging anyone for buying a Pixel and taking the easy way out. Trying to maintain privacy with tech is a major pain in the ass, it gets tiresome quickly. But holy shit, people in this privacy community sure are quick to rail on me for trying to avoid the largest offender in privacy invasion.
Hardware isn't privacy invasive, it's neutral. It's Google's proprietary software that collects all of your data, which is the reason I don't use it. I don't use any Google services, and completely blocked their servers on my network (both in my firewall and DNS). A Pixel with GrapheneOS is the best way to protect your privacy and security simultaneously, and it's the only device that can compete with iPhone hardware security. I'll happily buy Pixels from Google for their great features like the Titan M2 secure element, but I will never use their software and services.
I get that - and that’s a fine choice. I suppose my point is that I view Google the company, the entire entity, as the enemy of privacy. Therefore, I want nothing to do with them if at all possible, on any level.
I will admit it’s depressingly difficult, the whole reason I’m looking at this is because my old iPhone is nearly dead and I’ve been wanting to get away from them for awhile too. It feels like I’m looking at American politics. Both major parties suck for different reasons but anyone else looks like roadkill by comparison.
¯\(ツ)/¯
I wouldn't compare a Pixel to an iPhone in that context. The Google Pixel has been designed to run Android, a fundamentally open platform, which for example allows for sideloading, something that iOS only added recently because of pressure from lawmakers. The Pixel also allows you to install any OS you like while preserving all security features, including Verified boot, whereas the iPhone has always been locked down and only supports a single operating system that's entirely controlled by one corporation. Hardware-wise, the choice between a Pixel and an iPhone should be pretty clear. The Pixel is open and supports alternative operating systems, as well as custom verified boot signing keys. Software-wise, I'd take the iPhone over a Pixel with the Stock OS any time of the day, even though it's not as open, simply because I don't want any invasive Google bullshit running as a privileged system app on my device.