We answer the questions readers asked in response to our guide to anonymizing your phone
About the LevelUp series: At The Markup, we’re committed to doing everything we can to protect our readers from digital harm, write about the processes we develop, and share our work. We’re constantly working on improving digital security, respecting reader privacy, creating ethical and responsible user experiences, and making sure our site and tools are accessible.
This is a follow-up article. Here’s the first piece, if you’d like to read that one as well
You want privacy? Turn your phone off.
Doesn’t always work. Phones can turn themselves on. You can’t remove the battery anymore either.
Personally, I just accept that my privacy will always be violated using a smart phone, especially because I’m forced to use google and whatsapp. But I leave my phone at home when possible, especially if I’m thinking of attending a protest or doing stuff, and chuck it in a muffled/closed draw when I’m not using it.
Turn it off, take the battery out, snap it in half, throw it in the bin.
It tickles me when I read of journalists protecting their privacy. You can see how far up the tree they’ve climbed.
There are many, many more ways to track that anonymous phone. These are feel-good settings to disable for that sense of false security; like you’re in control. It does have effect, don’t get me wrong.
But a big part of tracking is not what your phone sends, but other devices detect. There’s no opt out of that data collection.
Throw your phone out. Get a small librebooted laptop and use an android emulator for any apps.
Definitely don’t. If there isn’t a FLOSS Linux client for it, just don’t use it.
I have often wondered if you can take an android phone, drill and rip out all the sensors and radio transmitters, and use wired Ethernet through a VPN router and still be able to use just banking apps as that seems to be one thing I keep a proprietary phone around for.
Edit: I forgot the speaker and the mic though the mic could be classed as a sensor
you’re still traceable because every phone CPU is directly associated with it’s IMEI. Although that’s probably not an issue for you since you’re planning on using banking apps anyway.
But is that a problem for the threat model of banking as your bank logs everything you’re doing and will gladly share that with the government anyway. My question is is there any other possible data they could gather besides the VPN server’s IP address and what I’m doing with my bank?
This is an insult to this community, and such low-effort shitposting shouldn’t be allowed.
On a serious note, this is laughable at best. Of course, there is no limit to security paranoia, and I’m hardly qualified to comment on the affairs of Cybersecurity for better OPSEC, but I wish they would be at least a little bit more informed than average. This journalist seems to have very little idea that the government knows what they are saying anyway
ull, Arkenfox, Brave SimpleX, Briar, Anonymous Messenger Onionshare Torbrowser Orbot or i2p alternatives that work Monero a privacy friendly Keyboard like Floris
yea but floris is lacking features .
