11 mo. ago • 89%

How much privacy will I lose if I switch to e/OS

I'm currently using GrapheneOS and I quite like it, but I would like to switch to something else. Will I lose much privacy if I switch to e/OS? Can I lock bootloader after flashing it like on GrapheneOS? I'm using Pixel 7 btw

11 comments

Were you using the Google espionage services on GOS? If so, you'd likely gain a little privacy because of µG.

Some devices can lock the bootloader but that's not a generally supported feature on /e/OS.

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- Ah yes, gaining privacy by running microG as root which already has Google code in it instead of running GSF in a sandbox as user.
  
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  µG is not running as root
  
  It does not "already have google code in it". That's an optional, tightly scoped feature with one specific blob that is required to implement the SafetyNet feature in any implementation
  
  I see no reason why you couldn't run µG inside a sandbox too; the differentiating factor for security is the sandbox, not the GMS implementation. Also has nothing to do with privacy as, contrary to the original GMS, µG doesn't spy on you to begin with.
  
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  Seems like the exactly appropriate amount of drama to me!
  
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Not sure if you can relock the bootloader

Their site doesn't include that info

https://doc.e.foundation/devices/panther

/e/ is a "degoogled" experience, but as noted on their site and by others here:

Google Services are replaced by microG and alternative services (see below for more details)

For a regular uninformed user like myself (I just use the stock ROM on my phone because I am stuck with it) I read that as:

We made this experience as frictionless as possible at at a cost.

The friction here would be banking and/or tap-to-pay apps that I think cause some issues for some people (please correct me if I am wrong).

So, you would lose something that is offered by GrapheneOS and gain a different interface and access to apps that have a hard requirement for GSF.

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I recommend sticking to GOS. If you'd like to use something else, I'd recommend DivestOS. CalyxOS, LineageOS, /e/OS and iodéOS are all significant downgrades in usability, privacy and security and therefore not worth using on a Pixel.

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- Can you speak to how those are significant downgrades?
  
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it depends.

you'll definitely be loosing security, which can turn into loosing privacy if you get affected by malware.

you'll also be loosing privacy if installing proprietary apps, since GrapheneOS has features like storage scopes and a better permission system that help minimizing privacy issues.

I think that locking your bootloader in a Pixel is possible regardless of the ROM you install.

Anyway, I think that there's no real benefit of installing any other custom ROM in a Pixel other than GrapheneOS. You'll be just loosing out in security and potentially privacy for no real reason.

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Not much

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- What? Please stop spreading misinformation.
  
  /e/ includes microG per default and thus calls google servers. /e/ includes unique identifyer per update call tracking its users. Graphene uses several proxy servers to hide user information, /e/ does not in similar way. And so on...
  
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  ☝️ this is correct. GSF calls home and /e/ is a different beast. The founder of Murena and /e/ is on Fedi so you could drop him a message on Mastodon and see how he answers.
  
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