Hi from Glenn! Admit it, you take your smartphone with you everywhere. It sits on your nightstand while you talk in your sleep. It accompanies you to work, to school, to the grocery store, and to the gas station. It’s a third wheel on intimate dinner dates with your spouse and at important business lunches with your clients. It probably even entertains you while you do your business in the bathroom.
There have been some questions about the iPhone, so let me clarify. The difference between iPhones and Android phones is that the iPhone is locked down. The operating system is encrypted. We can't see what is going on behind the scenes, nor can you modify it. An iPhone is an iPhone. Period.
The Android operating system is different though. It is open source, which is to say that it is an open book. We can see everything that is going on behind the scenes, AND we can modify it and make versions of it that are stripped of everything having to do with Google. There are, in fact, many de-Googled* versions of the Android operating system, such as Calyx, eFoundation, Mureno, Copperhead and, my favorite, Graphene OS.
These alternative operating systems offer a number of great features above and beyond just disconnecting from Google. Graphene OS has many privacy and security features that are not available on iPhone or Android. For example, Graphene has a randomized Mac address for Wifi, which simply means that your WiFi signature can't be used to identify you when you walk around with your phone with your WIFI turned on. There are many other benefits like this.
So coming back to the iPhone, there is nothing you can do to make your iPhone more private or secure than simply changing some settings. You are completely trusting Apple to provide you with a safe and secure phone. That doesn't mean, however, that you should change to a de-Googled phone.
Imagine your privacy/security actions on a scale from 1 to 100. 1 is total convenience without a single thought about privacy and security, and 100 is as private and secure as you can get, which would sacrifice convenience and ease of use. The vast majority of people exist at level 1. They want absolute convenience and they don't even think about privacy and security.
You want your privacy and security score to be as high as possible, and every step you take will move you further along the scale, but it could be at a sacrifice of some convenience. So, you will have to find your balance point. You want to be as private and secure as possible while still living your life as you want to live it.
A Graphene OS phone is very similar to an Android phone. If you are familiar with Android now, I don't think it would be a big change to move to Graphene OS. If you have an iPhone, it will be a bigger change. And to be honest, you may not want to make that change. It may be a hard change for some. You will have to make up your own mind.
One of the reasons I recommend the company that I do is because they have good customer support and training to help you make the adjustment.
I love the tongue in cheek beginning! You are right about phones - they are like second limbs, always attached, and misplacing a phone is a cause of panic. What a wonderful habit if someone wants to spy on us!
I have noticed that we all are inching away from living with nature and people, and drawing closer and closer to living in Cyberspace. Not a good feeling, for me, anyway.
Thank you, Glenn, Does this mean you are recommending this instead of the Above Phone or Efani?
There have been some questions about the iPhone, so let me clarify. The difference between iPhones and Android phones is that the iPhone is locked down. The operating system is encrypted. We can't see what is going on behind the scenes, nor can you modify it. An iPhone is an iPhone. Period.
The Android operating system is different though. It is open source, which is to say that it is an open book. We can see everything that is going on behind the scenes, AND we can modify it and make versions of it that are stripped of everything having to do with Google. There are, in fact, many de-Googled* versions of the Android operating system, such as Calyx, eFoundation, Mureno, Copperhead and, my favorite, Graphene OS.
These alternative operating systems offer a number of great features above and beyond just disconnecting from Google. Graphene OS has many privacy and security features that are not available on iPhone or Android. For example, Graphene has a randomized Mac address for Wifi, which simply means that your WiFi signature can't be used to identify you when you walk around with your phone with your WIFI turned on. There are many other benefits like this.
So coming back to the iPhone, there is nothing you can do to make your iPhone more private or secure than simply changing some settings. You are completely trusting Apple to provide you with a safe and secure phone. That doesn't mean, however, that you should change to a de-Googled phone.
Imagine your privacy/security actions on a scale from 1 to 100. 1 is total convenience without a single thought about privacy and security, and 100 is as private and secure as you can get, which would sacrifice convenience and ease of use. The vast majority of people exist at level 1. They want absolute convenience and they don't even think about privacy and security.
You want your privacy and security score to be as high as possible, and every step you take will move you further along the scale, but it could be at a sacrifice of some convenience. So, you will have to find your balance point. You want to be as private and secure as possible while still living your life as you want to live it.
A Graphene OS phone is very similar to an Android phone. If you are familiar with Android now, I don't think it would be a big change to move to Graphene OS. If you have an iPhone, it will be a bigger change. And to be honest, you may not want to make that change. It may be a hard change for some. You will have to make up your own mind.
One of the reasons I recommend the company that I do is because they have good customer support and training to help you make the adjustment.
I hope this clarifies things.
I love the tongue in cheek beginning! You are right about phones - they are like second limbs, always attached, and misplacing a phone is a cause of panic. What a wonderful habit if someone wants to spy on us!
I have noticed that we all are inching away from living with nature and people, and drawing closer and closer to living in Cyberspace. Not a good feeling, for me, anyway.
Thanks, Glenn
What about Clear phones? You can get them untethered from Google as well.