I've had a Galaxy S22+ for 2 years and still want to use it. When I look up how to maximize privacy on Android, many results say to install custom ROMs which I can't since its a US model and the bootloader is locked. I just want to minimize tracking and sharing of personal information. I could use a firewall app like RethinkDNS to block trackers, but could I completely block tracking from Google and Samsung? Are there any lists of packages to uninstall to improve privacy? (I've used ADB to remove a bunch of bloatware. Ex: pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.samsung.android.arzone)

https://github.com/umutcamliyurt/PQChat

I have been using kodi but it just so limited and clunky. Android TV is better but that is a major challenge since Android TV is very tied to Google with not much existing outside of Google.

What I am looking for is a device that can work with mostly Jellyfin. I don't use any streaming services. It would need to work flawlessly with a remote and I am looking for something that maintains itself mostly.

Hi :) I know that Telegram is not save and not a good messenger if you are a privacy-geek. Sadly some parts of my family still think so. I brougth up the arguments, that they are cooperating with Russia, that they or closed-source on the server-side and that e2ee is not on by default and only available for 1-on-1 chats.

My question now is, if you gals and guys might have some other arguments or sources I could use.

I don't want to convince anyone to switch away from Telegram (because I am no missionary :D) I just want people to understand the risks of using Telegram.

I'm trying to achieve a specific setup where I want to proxy a single app (lets say, GIMP) through a WireGuard/OpenVPN connection, while routing all other traffic through the Mullvad VPN app. The issue is that the VPN provider doesn't support SOCKS5 or any other proxy protocols(Not Mullvad VPN).

I've attempted to set up a WireGuard connection that only allows GIMP to pass through, but I'm not sure if I'm on the right track and don't know how to do it. Has anyone successfully achieved this setup on Linux? If so, I'd love to hear about your approach.

Specifically, I'm looking for a way to proxy GIMP through WireGuard/OpenVPN while keeping all other traffic routed through the Mullvad VPN app. Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Genuinely curious as to how these types of giveaways work and what the company gains from them. Is it the additional data you give them to enter the giveaway? Also does anyone own one of these cameras, are they actually worth redeeming in this case?

Basically the title but I have a few requirements I’d love to meet.

I have a “Smart Soundbar” that I actually quite like the audio of, as well as serving as an HDMI hub and switch, with a decent remote ect. Basically I like the hardware quite a bit and it is generally high quality, particularly the audio quality, it’s from a reputable home audio company, blah blah blah.

I got it as part of some promo with my ISP so it has their slightly customized version of Android TV on it. I’ve already gotten side loading apps working, I have my YouTube client and VPN running, Jellyfin, all that. Now I just want to get rid of all the google apps and ISP tweaks. I would also love to maintain some sort of casting option akin to chromecast or AirPlay. Is there an Android app that turns a device into an AirPlay receiver? I have one for Linux.

I realize the “best” option is to not connect the thing to the Internet, but that defeats the purpose of having access to say the Netflix app with my VPN running. Or giving relatives a “Netflix” like experience with my Jellyfin server running offsite.

Just looking for any advice on maintaining functionality of the high quality speaker and generally good Android TV interface while clawing back some privacy. I’d be willing to flash it with something totally different though if anyone know how to do that.

New EU #ChatControl proposal leaked +++ Governments to position themselves by 23 September, will be very tight... +++ Will messenger services be blocked in Europe? https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/new-eu-push-for-chat-control-will-messenger-services-be-blocked-in-europe/

Help pressure your government now to defend privacy and secure encryption: https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/take-action-to-stop-chat-control-now/

I wanted to try paying for Mullvad VPN using a private method (Monero). I created a wallet and went to an exchange (Kraken) to buy some XMR, but they want me to enter all my personal details upon registration. How does this make sense? Is there an exchange where I don't have to provide personally identifying information?

I am looking for any methods to add privacy to Siri. I do not use apple products but it appears their voice assistant is the most privacy friendly option of the mainstream brands. How can I privatize/anonymize the smallest apple device with siri for daily use. Such as an iPod or iPhone jailbroke or not, or homepod device. I do not have the time to do a lengthy setup. I need plug and go for the most part as I am overworked already. I am using this for voice reminders, to do lists, the basic stuff, asking questions. Thanks.

Edit: Besides locking it in a sound proof danger box, using a voice changer as input, hard wiring on its own little danger spot on the network, fake account, pi hole, and VPN. Any realistic ideas?

Hello!

I was curious about your guys opinions on Zen browser. Im currently using LibreWolf but enjoyed the look and feel of Zen browser. I tried to look for a Zen comparison on the aspect of privacy but didnt really fond any. So I wanted to see if you guys havet any input or opinion on Zen, anything goes!

"Kape Technologies is a major player in the online privacy world, one of the three giants that collectively control the market. It owns many of the world’s top VPNs, including ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, ZenMate, Intego Antivirus, and a host of tech websites that promote its products. Kape brands can be seen sponsoring a wide array of public figures, such as Tucker Carlson, Angry Video Game Nerd, Drew Gooden, Lex Fridman, Cody Ko, Uncle Roger, and Ben Shapiro."

"(Kape Technologies) It also bought a host of VPN review sites, such as vpnMentor and Wizcase – platforms that purport to supply readers with expert information about which VPN would be best for them. vpnMentor insists that this considerable conflict of interest does not affect their ratings."

What do you think of all this?

I'm a fan of WFMU, a user-supported, ad-free radio station in New Jersey (USA) in general, but this specific program seems like a good fit for this community. It's not just about privacy but that's a really common topic.

It's described as:

Conversations with creators and thinkers who are charting the way forward in a tech-saturated society. In our shift to a digital future, we need alternatives to Big Tech. Homepage: techtonic.fm

They talk to authors of books, talk about big tech anti-trust trials and so on. Check it out. You can stream the last 7 years worth of shows for free from the provided link.

A Real-Time Website Privacy Inspector

Who is peeking over your shoulder while you work, watch videos, learn, explore, and shop on the internet? Enter the address of any website, and Blacklight will scan it and reveal the specific user-tracking technologies on the site—and who’s getting your data. You may be surprised at what you learn.

A lot many individuals run TOR exit nodes, but I never hear about people running their own I2P outproxies. Is it really hard to host, or is there some other reason? I thought that if you could run a TOR exit node I'd think you'd be just fine running an I2P outproxy.

Running more outproxies will help in bridging torrents from the clearnet to I2P, which would be a very good move considering the crackdowns on torrents right now. Companies even want to involve civilians into their lawsuits in Sweden now, making the need for privacy/anonymity even more important when torrenting, which I2P provides.

The October issue of Consumer Reports has a full page ad for their app called "Permission Slip". The tagline reads "Companirs collect and sell you personal data. Our easy to use app helps you take back control."

Anyone have any experience with this? I haven't heard of it before but plan to install and do some testing.

MetaGer, the privacy-focused search engine of the non-profit association SUMA-EV, will no longer exist in its familiar form. It will still be possible to use the token-financed service. Nothing will change for members and users who use MetaGer with a key. However, it is the ad-financed search that has ensured the main part of the revenue and thus the operation and further development. Unfortunately, this “normal” search is no longer possible as of today. This is just as dramatic as it sounds: it is no longer possible for SUMA-EV to continue to employ staff. All employees are being made redundant, as are the offices.

The reason is that Yahoo terminated our contracts unilaterally and without any notice on Monday. Upon request, we were merely informed that Yahoo would no longer be operating the business in Germany. For us as the operator of MetaGer, this means on the one hand that we no longer receive any advertising revenue, which has been used to pay for office space, servers and employees. On the other hand, we will also no longer be able to deliver our search results as part of the ad-financed search. Only with Yahoo did we have a central deal to receive search results in return for advertising. This no longer applies.

What happens now? MetaGer's supporting association, SUMA-EV, will continue to exist. It will also still be possible to buy a key for the token-financed search and search with MetaGer. With this model, MetaGer will still be able to query paid search engines and deliver the results without tracking as usual. We will also continue to work for SUMA-EV and MetaGer on a voluntary basis to ensure the operation of this small niche, but this will of course be on a very small scale and not what MetaGer is all about. MetaGer-Maps can also no longer be operated in this context. The plans to become bigger and to one day provide a really good alternative to “the big players” with its own index (or European index) have of course died with this termination by Yahoo. And that is what is really sad.

U-Prove seems to me to be pretty close to a perfect auth system. It is possible to disclose only specific attributes and every prove is unlinkable (given no unique attribute is disclosed). Also it supports generating an unique, identity-linked ID per domain.

So I wonder why this technology is not used anywhere I know of?

https://github.com/umutcamliyurt/DroidCrypt

Greetings! So recently, i spent a few hours coding software. After i was done and i shut off my pc, i noticed both of the ethernet lights were on and blinking. Does this mean that Microsoft is sending data to their servers before the PC fully shuts off? I am scared that this might be the thing it does. How can i get rid of this issue? I have no idea if it's related to Windows or the PC itself.

I want to switch to a more privacy focused browser, would like to hear what yall use currently and why.

Edit: I’m currently using edge.

Edit: Thanks everyone for your input. I have decided to go with floorp (a firefox fork) with betterfox. Here's my decision process,

1. Firefox based browser
   • To help with browser monopoly
   • I really like the sidebery extension
2. I chose floorp instead of ff or other ff forks because of the ease of customization
   • I also tried zen browser but experienced a bug just from my short usage so I think it's not mature enough for me currently, but I do like the project.
3. Betterfox + extensions for better privacy settings
   • Ublock Origin
   • ClearURLs
   • Decentraleyes

Did not choose to go with LibreWolf, Mullvad etc because I'm worried about site breakages.

I am looking for a voice assistant that is as private as could be its a NEED not a want. I am aware of Mycroft who has discontinued service. I am aware of Rhasspy but it seems like a lot to setup and maintain.

I'm more looking for how to privatize something mainstream on mobile to always have it with me, not a standalone at home device. I'm talking Alexa, Siri, Google assistant, ect. For to do lists, reminders, looking up questions on the web. The usual use cases. In what ways can one make their assistant a little more privacy friendly without not using one? Which assistant is best? Thanks.

Edit: I've considered setting one behind VPN, Behind something like Pihole to block Calling Home from said app or device.

I didn't want to make two separate posts for these, so I am combining them into one. The two hardest apps to find for Android were a music player capable of playing local files, and an ebook reader with a nice design. With some help from the community, I was able to find nice apps for both of those. All apps here are available to install via Obtainium. My goal here is to raise awareness for some unknown but high quality apps that I have found.

Music player: VLC

Credit: @HanShan@lemmy.nowhere.moe, @thayerw@lemmy.ca, @Corngood@lemmy.ml

I have tried plenty of music players, and most of them are either copies of each other, are lacking in features, or are just plain buggy. Despite what I expected, VLC is actually the best choice in this category.

Besides being a must-have in general, VLC actually has fantastic support for music management. It has plenty of customization, however I found that the Black theme did not work. Besides that, it has support for folders, creating playlists, playback history, albums, artists, genres, shuffling, queue management, equalizers, sleep timers, playback speed, A-B repeat, and so much more. It is honestly exactly what I was looking for, with a sleek UI and very feature packed. It's nothing like the desktop app.

eBook reader: Book's Story

It was a struggle to find an eBook reader with nice usability. I managed to find two that are very promising. One such reader is Book's Story.

Book's Story offers a completely offline experience to managing and reading eBooks. It's what I would want if I were to code an eBook reader, with a nice Material design and a minimalistic layout. However, there are things I don't like about it. For starters, it doesn't correctly read my eBooks. That's honestly disappointing, since that means the app is currently dysfunctional, but I am including it in this list because I have high hopes for it. There is also no page turning view, which isn't bad, but it's a feature I look forward to. Overall, I don't currently recommend using this, but in the future I can easily see it becoming one of the best eBook readers out there.

eBook reader: Myne

Unlike Book's Story, Myne is able to read all of my eBooks just fine. Myne is an even more polished eBook reader, also with support for downloading eBooks from the internet in the app.

It too lacks in a page turning view, and doesn't allow you to customize which screen is your default. The second one is slightly annoying because if you are offline and open the app the first thing you see is a 404 page. You can still view your offline ebooks, of course, but it would be nice to select which page is the default. Furthermore, while it was able to read my eBooks well enough, there are still a few minor HTML artifacts visible in the book. If I was able to merge the layout of Book's Story with the design and functionality of Myne, it would become the perfect eBook reader.

I'd love to see where both of these projects go, and even in their current state they beat some of the most popular eBook readers in my opinion, such as Librera and KOReader.