How tf do you even do that? I get how you would on a stock proprietary OS. But there are open OSes, and then how? Doubt something this complex and autonomous could be hidden like the XZ backdoor. If some OS complies - wouldn't people fork it to remove the malware?
And then there are desktops, which are much easier and more universal to make private...
There is no such thing as a binary choice between "absolutely private" and "absolutely non-private".
Simple Mobile Tools are now continued in form of Fossify. It does have an SMS app.
Urm... You're describing a completely different situation, you got banned for something you said and maybe by mods. I am describing a situation of being silenced for seemingly no reason and without even warning me!
Bruh, at least you just got banned "for" something. I got shadowbanned, and for seemingly no reason at all! I made some very neutral comments in fandom subreddits, and only when I looked at the pages logged out, I realized the comments were not showing up. I can only guess it was either my location, my custom domain email, or a combination of both.
Huh? Worked for me.
I know that it disabled desktop registration a few years ago. Under what conditions did you manage to register without a smartphone after that?
Telegram literally only banned CSAM.
At the very least, I know instances of anti-war channels being censored. I don't know about CSAM, but I was thinking about drugs and dissidents.
Except that it was, and that’s why people used it.
Relying on one company's good will rather than it being physically unable to comply is not a good strategy for any serious safety.
No it wasn’t? It was literally the private anonymous messenger and that’s why people used it.
Requiring an identifier that is tied to a government ID in many if not most jurisdictions. Requiring a mobile device and their semi-proprietary app to register. Banning people for "suspicious behavior" while suspicious means using tech that may help hide one's identity.
Yeah, but so is every good thing.
How so? In an actually safe solution, the content of the messages would have been useless without the keys stored only on the clients, unlike Telegram. Signal is like this. And in a better situation, the metadata wouldn't be a ticking time bomb either, as it would be scattered across multiple servers rather than packed neatly in one company's care.
The subject matter at hand - Telegram. It was legally a complex mess of shell companies in weird jurisdictions. That’s why the glowies couldn’t touch it, the level of international cooperation it would require is far beyond the realistic means of any government. This is why they had to arrest Durov and offer him life in prison or to open up, there was nothing else they could do.
That approach is pretty childish, as Telegram did have access to the keys. At the end, this is all theater if it relies on the good will of the company. An actually "untouchable system" with "decentralized complexity" would be the one where no one server operator can compromise the whole thing is they wanted so.
I don’t want to self-host my criminal messenger, i live deep in five eyes shit.
You can rent a VPS outside of Five Eyes, duh. Or choose one that someone else already hosts there. Having a choice is very important, and with Telegram you're just locked to a single provider.
It would if any of these worked, or were used by anyone at all.
...And most people are on things like Whatsapp or Facebook. Does that make them any good? It is fine to be there if you have to, but you wouldn't trust them with your safety.
I wonder if adb-disabling Google services would work.
About a foldable phone being a "perfect fit" if only the outer screen is, in addition to being far more expensive than a normal phone.
To each their own. I would prefer to stick to my $3/mo plan with no extras. And said $120 are, while a good deal for a premium phone, are still $120 I would rather spend on better things (or if they're this throwaway - donate to a charity). A phone after 2-3 years is still very much functional, I don't see the point to get a new shiny thing just because you can.
Sure, you can buy one to never unfold. But you'd be getting a thick, expensive AF phone for no reason, lol
I only bought a Pixel because of GrapheneOS, and the "a" series is at least slightly smaller (plus plastic back instead of glass, that's something I am also happy about).
But yeah, I feel you :( I am not even small, I have average hands!
This is not binary like this either. There are a TON of variables.
All depends on whom you want to be private against, as well as how much effort they want to put into getting your information. There is no "absolute privacy"... But there is "requiring more effort from the chosen adversary than you're worth".