Bracelets (Image by Luisella Planeta Leoni from Pixabay)
I'm doing a lot of reading on the topics of digital privacy and realizing that we need to share more with the Ethical Developer Group readers. Content seems to be increasing rapidly along with awareness and pointing our readers to good news articles, especially ones that help you free yourself from the Digital Panopticon!
Google the Mooch
Allen Stevo's post today on one of our favorite libertarian sites LewRockwell.com calls Google a mooch for hiding their intentions while they harvest your organs data. We agree with the author in that burying one's intentions in a EULA that nobody reads may make the actions legal, but it doesn't make their actions ethical.
Jamming Microphones
This article from Engadget.com discusses an ultrasonic bracelet that creates white noise at a frequency that is well above the human hearing range, but electronic eavesdroppers will find that their microphones have been jammed. Dogs might not like it, though!
Special Topic: The Linux Phones are Coming!
At Ethical Developer Group we've been interested in Linux-based privacy phones since ... long before EDG existed! Ubuntu touch was an experiment a few years ago that really didn't go anywhere, but Purism is releasing their Librem 5 and Pine 64 is releasing their Pinephone. The current phones are pretty developer-oriented and bugs are being worked out, but in a matter of months we'll have a multiple options for privacy-oriented smartphones that don't run iOS, Android, Windows, or any of a number of Android-based operating systems like LineageOS, CopperheadOS, GrapheneOS, etc.
Both of these Linux phones will be able to run a number of Linux operating systems. Pinephone will be able to run at least a half dozen different operating systems, including a mainline Linux (updated) version of Ubuntu Touch.
The benefit: iOS and Android are pretty much spyware. Operating systems based on them can offer varying levels of privacy. Edward Snowden actually recommends GrapheneOS if you are going to have a smartphone and have any interest in privacy. I am currently running Graphene on a Pixel 2XL and think it runs great. I need to do a proper review on it and that should be coming soon. In general, one should rightfully doubt whether some of these Android-based OSes are really that private, but simply running something like LineageOS without Google Apps installed is likely an 80% solution while keeping the ability to run Android apps without much fuss. At EDG, however, we prefer the idea of ditching those mainstream OSes completely.
That said, there may be wrinkles in how open-source even these these emerging Linux phones really are. Many of the drivers/firmware for the phones' components, including the processor chipsets, the modems, the touchscreens, and other components are proprietary. Because the source cannot be examined, we don't know what "undocumented features" might be buried within. There are also some doubts about whether driver/firmware updates will be provided as vulnerabilities are found.
Proprietary drivers/firmware are present in any phones running Android-based operating systems, too, but are they more likely to receive updates over time? Your mileage (and privacy) may vary. Overall, I believe that the Linux phones will offer a lot more privacy to users with a lot less fuss. Even if they aren't the perfect solution right now, they are a step in the right direction and, if they are successful, eventually we'll get truly open-source hardware with drivers/firmware that we can trust.
More on Linux Phones
Rob Braxman Tech is an excellent channel I've been checking out on YouTube. His videos are packed with useful information on these emerging Linux phones, including his own hands-on experiences. I especially like his video comparing the specs of the Librem5 and Pinephone. He put on a live feed on Valentine's Day (that's why his Nexus 5 running Ubuntu Touch was red) that goes on for a couple hours, but you can learn a lot by letting this video run while working on cars or making dinner.
Here at Ethical Developer Group we are concerned about digital privacy, which is why we are working with phones using alternative operating systems. We will not have a free world if people do not take privacy seriously and/or privacy is not allowed. Please join us in learning about threats, finding alternative paths, and making our way out of the Digital Panopticon. Sign up for our email updates, become a user of the site, and show your support of our mission on social media sites including LinkedIn, Twitter, Gab, and Steam.
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