Do you run a Custom ROM?
Simple question really! Are any of you running a Custom ROM? Furthermore, are any of you running a De-Googled ROM?
Why do you run your custom ROM, and what are the drawbacks?
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Simple question really! Are any of you running a Custom ROM? Furthermore, are any of you running a De-Googled ROM?
Why do you run your custom ROM, and what are the drawbacks?
For privacy, I thought about running a de googled custom ROM. Then I did some risk assessments of common apps and realized that every app relies on multiple libraries and these libraries all have telemetry. Even major apps that you would think kick down their user data so bit even consider the data being hovered up by the libraries.
This means that there are probably 20+ data agrogators constantly pulling your data unless you don't install a single app on your phone. Next option is a dumb phone, but even the "dumb phones" at the store are just Android with a locked down UI.
I consider it a lost cause at this point.
If you want privacy, buy some land in the mountains, put a big tarp over it, and never leave. :(
If you want more control over the OS to do things that users usually can't do, than it makes sense to root.
install App manager from f-droid. click block all trackers. done.
I am talking about libraries that offload app functions so that the devs don't have to do everything from scratch. The apps will not function without it. That will work for apps that don't rely on those libraries, like a calculator, but if you do use apps that do, you have to choose function vs privacy.
How much data you can control vs how much you will lose is a personal decision, but I bet a lot of people going for privacy do not realize how little they get for the functionality they give up ;)
For example, I don't have a ring camera, but enough of my neighbors do so I don't gain much privacy there. I use add blocked in my browser, but I am still easy to profile due to canvas, browser window size, time if day, etc. I don't have a new car so my car doesn't have cellular uplink, but a third party manages the license plate readers and traffic light cameras for the city and they can sell that data to anyone.
I am talking about libraries that offload app functions so that the devs don't have to do everything from scratch. The apps will not function without it. That will work for apps that don't rely on those libraries, like a calculator, but if you do use apps that do, you have to choose function vs privacy.
How much data you can control vs how much you will lose is a personal decision, but I bet a lot of people going for privacy do not realize how little they get for the functionality they give up ;)
For example, I don't have a ring camera, but enough of my neighbors do so I don't gain much privacy there. I use add blocker in my browser, but I am still easy to profile due to canvas, browser window size, time if day, etc. I don't have a new car so my car doesn't have cellular uplink, but a third party manages the license plate readers and traffic light cameras for the city and they can sell that data to anyone.