Privacy aware mobile phones

aus dem Wiki des Entropia e.V., CCC Karlsruhe

Auf dieser Seite sammelt Informationen wie man Mobiltelefone nutzen kann ohne seine Privatsphäre generell und vor allem an die GAFAM (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft) zu opfern. Der Rest der Seite ist in Englisch da die Informationen international gültig sind.

On this page we collect information on how to use mobile phones without sacrificing your privacy in general and especially to the GAFAM (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft).


Considerations

  • Open Source OS
  • Protection for baseband attacks

An alternative Android operating system without Google Apps and a baseband protection app is probably the best option for a privacy aware mobile phone. (Date: Autumn 2019)


Android OS alternatives

LineageOS

LineageOS is a free and open-source operating system for various devices, based on CyanogenMod and the Android mobile platform.

List of supported devices.

Fairphone

Fairphone is a social enterprise company which aims to develop smartphones that are designed and produced with minimal environmental impact.

The phones are delivered with the stock Fairphone OS containing proprietary Google Apps, but they maintaining an complete open-source variant of their OS Fairphone Open.

  • + well maintained open-source OS variant
  • + ethical hardware
  • ? unclear support for SnoopSnitch in Fairphone FP3 (FP2 works)
  • - expensive hardware


/e/

/e/ is a free and open-source Android-based mobile operating system and associated online services. The operating system is a fork of LineageOS and Android. The custom firmware is developed by the /e/ Foundation, which was founded by French open-source developer and fonder of Mandrake Linux Gaël Duval. /e/ is presented as privacy software that does not contain proprietary Google apps or services.

List of supported devices.


Tools

Snoopsnitch

Android application for Android security patch analysis and detecting mobile abuse: Network insecurities, evidence of IMSI catcher, SIM card attacks, and SS7 abuse.

List of supported devices.

F-Droid

Alternative app store for open source applications.

Google Play Store Clients

Allow usage of Google Play store without giving Google access to all data.


"real linux" alternatives

Librem 5

https://puri.sm/

https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

  • + companies focus is to build privacy aware hardware
  • + privacy by design
  • + baseband separated from primary OS
  • + hardware switches for privacy related components like cam, micro, location
  • ? unclear how usable the OS is for general mobile usage
  • - Hardware not available yet
  • - no android apps (yet?)
  • - reports about the company being shady https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Zlatan-Todoric-Interview

Pinephone

https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/

  • + strong focus on transparency and community engagement
  • + support from a bunch of different mobile OS projects
  • + hardware available for ordering now
  • + support for android apps (with ubports)
  • - no protection for baseband attacks known

Other suppliers/OS