Hello guys. I recently acquired a Pixel 8A and it was Google stock os I bought it from a man locally all with cash I brought It home and I flashed grapheneos onto this phone.

What else needs to be done to anonymous this phone and make it a privacy phone and a spy free phone no tracking phone no interception phone and no monitored phone.

Any advice welcome!

Thanks.

  • LoveSausage@lemmy.ml
    ·
    4 months ago

    Start with the basics. Use a VPN preferable a good one payed in crypto /XMR or cash. Use Foss apps only check out F-droid.

    Also one that blocks malware and ads. If not use adguard.dns or other that filter traffic

    Settings , disable 2-3 G if you always have access to 4-5 G .

    Don't change add browsers use vanadium. No gapps obviously.

    The more challenging is to just use it as WiFi phone without SIM.

    • Koolaid33@lemm.ee
      ·
      4 months ago

      I have a sim card in this phone. The sim card is one I heavily rely on. I have disabled the option for disable 2G in sims is this good? Even without the LTE mode as my phone doesn't seem to have this.

      I don't have any crypto / XMR and in this case, shall I just set the DNS you recommended me without any VPN and just always use that? Thanks.

      • LoveSausage@lemmy.ml
        ·
        4 months ago

        I used adguard.dns before now I have VPN that have DNS filter. Disabling 2-3g minimize attack surface but just a small thing use 3 g if you need it. You can use both private DNA in settings and a free VPN if you want.

        • Koolaid33@lemm.ee
          ·
          4 months ago

          Are you recommending I change Preferred network type " to 3G? other options are 4G only 5G ( recommend ) 4G if I use that DNS with what VPN u recommend, and have allow 2g disable am I good?

          • LoveSausage@lemmy.ml
            ·
            4 months ago

            It's only an attack surface minimation , security is better on new generations. I use all since I am in the middle of nowhere. If you don't need it disable it, otherwise let it be

    • Lemongrab@lemmy.one
      ·
      4 months ago

      Vanadium doesn't have good/any fingerprinting protection. Cromite or Mull would be better, Tor would be best.

      • LoveSausage@lemmy.ml
        ·
        4 months ago

        Why would you use Chrome webview plus something else? You can't replace just pile on. Not a good idea. https://grapheneos.org/usage#web-browsing

        • Lemongrab@lemmy.one
          ·
          4 months ago

          Dont use system webview as your default browser. Webview is used by apps, your browser can and should be changed if privacy is your goal. Vanadium may be hardened, but it lacks any fingerprinting protection.

          • LoveSausage@lemmy.ml
            ·
            4 months ago
            1. That makes no sense.
            2. Vanadium have a different approach than trying to block it , blend in instead.
            3. Gecko based browser have crap sandboxing
            4. Again if you have 1 problem adding 1 more makes 2 problems.
            • Lemongrab@lemmy.one
              ·
              4 months ago

              Your system webview is for in app usage. You aren't browsing the web using your system webview (generally). You can't blend into a crowd if you have no anti-fingerprinting. Firefox does this through RFP by normalizing settings between users, and on mobile there is partial support for screen size normalization through letterboxing. Vanadium isn't special, it is hardened chromium with some specific patches. You cannot form a crowd without special a lot of anti-fingerprint patching. See my other comment for details.

              Firefox is missing per-site process isolation. This is theoretical an attack vector in the presence of multiple other major vulnerabilities. It has never been shown to be an attack vector in real world vulnerabilities. Don't call Firefox's sandboxing crap if you don't know why people have said that.

              • scratchandgame@lemmy.ml
                ·
                4 months ago

                You can’t blend in with a crowd of vanadium users with the amount of data points given away by the browser. Your fingerprint will be decernable from other users. Without actual anti-fingerprinting, which theoretical can allow for a crowd only when fingerprinting of user browsers results in the same fingerprint ID, the best you can hope to do is thwart naive fingerprinting. Vanadium doesn’t have any anti-fingerprint built in, so the slightest differences between user can be used to easily fingerprint. Vanadium

                Anti-fingerprinting? By blocking javascript which the half-hearted privacy users can never afford? hahahahaha. Even privacy projects spread dirty javascripts.