What is Your Private Phone setup? (2022-2024)

A flip phone (currently a Sonim XP3+, running Android 11 Go, location services disabled). Frequently turned off, often enough with the battery removed. And a laptop running Qubes that I carry in a backpack with a lot of offline capability should I think I need it (things like Organic Maps with a local set of maps, so I don't even need to jump online with it for basic "Where the heck am I?" sort of things - though I'm seriously considering a new standalone GPS nav unit for the vehicles that don't have one built in).

If you're connected to the cell networks, fairly accurate location data is available to the carrier, and I believe the 5G upgrades improve over the air throughput on the lower bands (at least partially) by improving the location accuracy so time-of-flight issues can be reduced (if you're further from the tower than I am, you start transmitting before I finish, so your wavefront passes me as I finish transmitting, avoiding dead air). Though I'm really not sure of the details on this, I haven't delved deeply enough into the changes from 4G/LTE to 5G to be highly confident in this.

In any case, "turned off, battery removed" is a good enough way to keep your information less-available to "literally everyone who wants it." As is "not having any apps installed."

The book that just came out, "Means of Control" by Byron Tau[0], goes into some of the details of just how information flows around, with a focus on the flows from adtech companies to government, and the deceit used to make that seem like it's not happening.

0: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706321/means-of-con...

Phrases like “my browsing needs”, “music-on-the-go” and the unnecessary use of emojis to describe app functionality make the posts sound like agents trying to blend in.

LineageOS + microg has been by go-to setup for a number of years. Plus a few other privacy enhancing tools like a vpn, a firewall, a hosts adblocker, and xPrivacyLua.

Mine is limiting the macro-spy aka smartphone to the stuff I have to do with it (Google Maps, car recharge when needed on the go), while having a decent phone system at home, a small PBX with a handful of VoIP trunks/numbers, some local extensions (deskphones, a cordless, softphones) and opportune redirections.

Bonus: the call queue music make most spammer drop the call before my phones third ring :-)

My current mobile setup is simple - a moto z3 play (beckham) running lineageOS 21, zero google services or apps, f-droid as appstore. Minimal apps installed (mostly everything I do on mobile is through the browser, for me fennec/firefox), and the few communication apps i use (telegram, element), podverse, and Newpipe for YT and I'm good to go.

They simply don't understand. You can't have privacy and carry a cell phone. It's a small satellite designed orbit you and extract and broadcast as much information as possible. Cost a trillion dollars in r&d if not more.

I'll admit to being too exhausted to care. I have the latest S24 Ultra. I have VPN and self hosted services (and signal etc) but the rest is just... I dont have the energy to deal with all the data theft issues with modern phones.

Genuine question: why should I care about my data being peddled by big tech?

My setup is a Samsung (A20, I think?) phone that my ex gf wasn't using when my previous phone broke. I use WhatsApp, Gmail, Instagram, Tinder, banking app some other normie shit. I do NOT use a VPN. When I search for porn I do it in Chrome, logged into my real-name Google account.

The best privacy is just not caring.