Comment by palata | Hacker News Reader

Comment by palata | Hacker News Reader

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> I think MicroG - which provides dummy no-op implementations of Google Play tracking APIs, and allows you to select alternative Location Providers and notification backends - is a better option than running first-party Google software.

microG still forwards the requests to the Google servers. Not sure what you mean by "tracking APIs"? microG is a reverse-engineered, open source implementation of a subset of Play Services, right? It's not obviously a better option: for instance, some things that are supported in Play Services are not supported in microG, and microG sometimes breaks (because of changes in the API).

> allows you to select alternative Location Providers

GOS does that, too.

> I do think GOS lulls users into complacency by focusing on the security angle only and encouraging users to install sandboxed GApps

I don't get that. It does not encourage them to install Play Services, it makes it available. Because for many (most?) users, it is important to have it.

I am not sure what you are trying to say: is your opinion that there is no point in using an alternative OS (like GOS, /e/OS, LineageOS, IodeOS, ...) or are you trying to say that GOS is not the most secure/private alternative OS?

I'm trying to say the same thing I said up at the top: GOS's approach to privacy is obtuse. They deliberately conflate security with privacy (you even write "secure/private" as though they're the same thing) in a way that does a disservice to users.

My opinion is that GOS is very successful at its own stated goal of having an extremely secure mobile OS that rolls out patch updates quickly. I think it's far less successful at protecting user privacy because — as you even admit, many/most of them will find their phones unusable with vanilla GOS and immediately follow the GOS user guide to install Google Play and help them securely upload their personal data to the world's biggest adtech firm.

I think iodéOS and /e/OS are more in line with what I want from a mobile OS.

> as you even admit, many/most of them will find their phones unusable with vanilla GOS and immediately follow the GOS user guide to install Google Play

I installed the Play Services right away, just like I installed microG right away on a LineageOS system (I don't know about iodeOS, but /e/OS comes with microG by default). In terms of privacy, I don't think it is very different: microG is an open source implementation of the Play Services, that also contacts the Google servers. Many will use something like the Aurora store, which is a client for the Play Store. Etc.

GrapheneOS has proxies, e.g. for the location service. They are doing a lot for privacy, that's very clear.

> I think iodéOS and /e/OS are more in line with what I want from a mobile OS.

And that's your right. I think that GrapheneOS is more secure, and not less private than those. Actually in my experience with /e/OS, it was less secure than Stock Android (though more private, admittedly).

> They deliberately conflate security with privacy (you even write "secure/private" as though they're the same thing) in a way that does a disservice to users.

That's not really true. In fact, the way you are presenting it, as if they were seperate is doing a disservice to the reality and therefore to the users.

You can't have privacy without security. Security is what enforces the privacy. If your system is insecure, privacy controls can be bypassed.

> My opinion is that GOS is very successful at its own stated goal of having an extremely secure mobile OS that rolls out patch updates quickly.

GOS' "own stated goal" is privacy, security and usability. The main reason the project is made is to give people privacy, and the reality is that in order to give privacy you need strong security. Usability is also striven for by trying to match other mobile OSes in app compatability and accessibility features (the latter being a current work in progress with TTS and STT coming soon).

> I think it's far less successful at protecting user privacy because — as you even admit, many/most of them will find their phones unusable with vanilla GOS and immediately follow the GOS user guide to install Google Play and help them securely upload their personal data to the world's biggest adtech firm.

Many people are able to use their phone fine without installing Google Play. It depends on choices people make. If you use a different set of apps not relying on Play, it's perfectly possible to use it. If you care so much, just change the apps you use. Also installing Google Play doesn't equate to "securely uploaidng their personal data to the world's biggest adtech firm". Again totally misunderstanding how the app sandbox works.

> I think iodéOS and /e/OS are more in line with what I want from a mobile OS.

Unclear what you want. If you want something aligning to your vibes and ideology, probably. If you want privacy, not really.

> You can't have privacy without security. Security is what enforces the privacy. If your system is insecure, privacy controls can be bypassed.

Again, this is an obtuse perspective. A system that doesn't collect or store private data never needs to concern itself with securing that data.

I am concerned with reducing casual data exposure to the adtech industry. I am not worried about being targeted by nation state actors.

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