Privacy? You might need it. Here’s what I did.

PS - Don’t even bother to read through this if you’re just an average dumb nibba boomer consoomer.

Basically the blog is about why and how I bought a smart mobile phone online and made it a secure privacy phone.

First let’s talk about why do you even need privacy in this digital world, if you’re here after going through ton of information about it, please do so again because it’s important bruh.

• Privacy - What, Why, How ?

• What - I'll put it simply for you guys, having digital devices is like having a camera in your bathroom. I hope you like some privacy in your bathroom.

• Why - In the age of major surveillance, you actually should be concerned about your online behaviour on what you do and why you do it.

• How - But a normal flip phone with no internet if that's what you need and are actually concerned about your data. Or go ahead reading and follow the quick tutorial to get some privacy

All you need is once to get caught in any issue out in the real world, then literally would you be able to see how much ever data can they pull in on you with the data that you put out there into the internet.

I'd like you to go through these links below to actually understand the seriousness of it.

Jorge Molina falsely accused for a murder for his google data leaks

Snowden briefing on how they can steal any data that they want.

(I know you didn't even bother to click on the link, even if you did, you didn't read it entirely.)

So I'll put it simply here - Jorge Molina was accused of a murder falsely and was sentenced to prison even though he was innocent, only because his google data says his location and his search results about a gun shooting, his google ID was being used by his step-dad, who drove Molina's car across the crime scene of a murder.

You see how things can be changed the way you least expected to be ? :)

Even though you're innocent, your digital footprint can be used to destroy your lives, all they have to do is to decide to target you, one lil decision & you can't even get out of it. Kiss you mama good bye. <3

I suggest just not having a mobile phone at all is the best possible way, but for you to meet the world’s needs for networking and showing your existence out there you do need a smart phone for you to fit in. ( If you live in the woods again, you’re all sorted then, stop reading this now and go live your peaceful life)

So now with all the reader filtrations done. You can go ahead.

You can never come out the surviellance anyways.

But can at least have some control over it from your side with some effort.

• What I did

• How to do it

• Is it important?

What I did

I now use a Google pixel 6a with GrapheneOS in it.

GrapheneOS is privacy friendly variation of the AndroidOS. Basically a degoogled version of Android.

To get more information on it - here

You technically have to wipe out your android off your phone and install this grapheneOS. It's actually very easy of which documents I'll be adding down below.

GrapheneOS gives your control over all the sensors of your mobile device, control over apps to access the sensors data, personal data, contacts, network etc. So none of the apps can work behind your back to access random data without your supervision.

How to do it

Now you might think what about the general apps that you use on your smartphone like for messaging, entertainment, banking, shopping, navigation etc. So the best part about that is, there are like multiple application stores like f-droid, NeoStore, Aurora Store etc. from which you can access all the required application's spy-ware alternatives. Of which you'll find the list below.

• Messaging - Signal or Element (if you self-host a server)

• Maps & Navigation - Maps Me or Magic Earth

• PDF - Librera FD

• YouTube - NewPipe

• Mail - ProtonMail, FairEmail

• Browser - Bromite, Tor, Vanadium ( built-in GrapheneOS)

• Music - Spotube

• DNS, VPN etc. - InviZible Pro

I guess this almost covers all your basic survival applications that you need on a smart phone that you can live with.

Yet, if you need google involved cuz there are things that have a part in your life that you wanna sell. Then go for it. GrapheneOS also lets you run google play services sandboxed in it.

I suggest you do it by compartmenting the user profiles in ur phone by creating different profiles based on the use case so that everything remains untraced among the profiles. You can do this in the profile management under your settings.

I myself created 4 profiles based on my use case and requirements.

Let's say your an investigative journalist and you need social media to keep on track of things going around you. Then create a social media profile and keep it all under a single Email ID, and not adding your mobile numbers to each of those profiles.

What I suggest is, create different Email ID's for different purposes, for example

Social Media

Shopping

Google play services

Banking etc.

You can try to keep your data breach to some minimum extent.

Here's a tutorial video on how to install the GrapheneOS on ur devices and it's compatibility document.

Is it Important?

Short Answer - Yes.

Long Answer - It's up to you.

Alright I'm done now.

If you have any questions about the installation or anything please do drop a Mail at imvwk@protonmail.com my custom domain email ID is having an issue which I'll resolve soon and when it's done I'll update it here.

Thanks for your time and effort to read this if you reached here. I'm grateful it.