I’m a complete and utter newbie to this. But, based on the discussion about “not needing a new phone” and the availability of alternatives in Canada, can anyone recommend what might act as a suitable alternative to Android and iPhone OS. Ideally, I can keep my phone and just use a different OS. But I have some problems and could use some foundational knowledge to start my research and make a decision:

  1. I’m trying to keep my Samsung S21 Ultra as long as possible. I looked at Graphene and Lineage and both do not support it from what I can tell.
  2. Internet, heavy data use is not an issue. I have wi-fi wherever I go.
  3. I’d prefer not to buy a new phone. If I need to buy a used phone, I am leaning towards an older Pixel and Graphene OS. Is that a sound decision? If not, are there phones such as Fairphone (not in Canada…) to consider?
      • cabbage@piefed.socialEnglish
        83·
        14 days ago

        Motorola is also involved in the surveillance industry, both with their own direct competitors to Flock cameras and as the owners of a company named Avigilon. 404media has reported on how both contibuted to surveillance in Alabama.

        I wouldn’t buy a Google phone in pursuit of privacy, and I wouldn’t buy a Motorola one either. Sending money that direction defeats the purpose.

        • artyom@piefed.socialEnglish
          41·
          14 days ago

          I wouldn’t buy a Google phone in pursuit of privacy, and I wouldn’t buy a Motorola one either.

          So you just don’t have a phone?

          • cabbage@piefed.socialEnglish
            21·
            14 days ago

            While there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism yadda yadda there’s still degrees of bad. I would not buy from a company who is actively building the infrastructure of the fascist surveillance state. By Google phone here I meant a Google brand phone, not a phone that comes with Google Android. Buying a Google Pixel second hand is obviously better than buying anything new.

            Basically I think it’s worth trying to avoid buying things from people who want to do you harm, and when compromises have to be made it’s still worth settling for less evil. Motorola and Google are not that.

            • artyom@piefed.socialEnglish
              41·
              14 days ago

              Basically I think it’s worth trying to avoid buying things from people who want to do you harm

              There is no option like that. The most ethical hardware option is probably Fairphone but they’re still ultimately selling you spy devices that will phone all your data back to Google, which is far more harmful than even throwing a couple bucks back at Google directly for hardware that will probably end up costing them more money than it makes them when you remove all their spyware.

              • cabbage@piefed.socialEnglish
                3·
                14 days ago

                I use a degoogled Fairphone. No money going to Google when I bought it, no data going to Google while I use it. You can also buy Fairphones new without Google Android.

                more harmful than even throwing a couple bucks back at Google directly for hardware that will probably end up costing them more money than it makes them when you remove all their spyware.

                This seems delusional. Even if they don’t run on huge profits from selling their devices you end up supporting their market dominance.

                • artyom@piefed.socialEnglish
                  1·
                  14 days ago

                  Even if they don’t run on huge profits from selling their devices you end up supporting their market dominance.

                  This seems delusional. Google does not enjoy any hardware “market dominance”. They make up just over 1% of the hardware market.

                  • cabbage@piefed.socialEnglish
                    1·
                    14 days ago

                    And yet they have the entire industry in the palm of their hand.

                    For me it’s a no-brainer. I don’t buy products from Google, Amazon, Musk, Zuckerberg, or anyone else who obviously want to do me harm. Any path towards a better world sold to me by the people who are busy destroying the current one will be treated with immense scepticism.

                    I don’t see much point arguing further why I wouldn’t buy my privacy respecting hardware from Google or de facto Flock. We probably have different priorities.