Curious what people think.

Do you think using the GrapheneOS operative system is useless if the user plans to/needs to install Play Store apps anyway?

I think I'm not alone in feeling this way, but sometimes I feel a sense of imposter syndrome because I'm not perfectly private and am dependent on some Play Store apps. This has caused me to question if the transition to GOS is meaningful at all.

Feel free to share your opinion. Cheers! ...posted from my GrapheneOS Pixel.

I need a diary that works as an Android app and a web app. Ideally when I type something it automatically gets a time stamp.

Asking here because I want something private.

Does such a thing exist?

edit - Thank you for all the responses!! I did not expect so many replies.

The reason I said web app is because I’m looking for something I can use on my desktop and my phone. I use my desktop much more than my phone. While I currently use Windowz, I'm slowly migrating to Linux.

I'm traveling to the US mainland for the first time in my life in a few weeks.

I am not overly stressed about privacy, but I have read that US immigration can really overstep their boundaries. Are there any simple specific steps to take on my devices to protect my privace when going through US border control?

Remove my main accounts from my phone/tablet and use dummy accounts? Or just removing my biometrics?

That's a use case for aliases, catching if any company or service gives out your email to be abused by advertisers and whatnot. I tried looking for stories but didn't find any, I wonder if you have any to share.

I was considering getting a LG G5. Some models support an older version of LineageOS and I love the replaceable battery.

What do you recommend?

I have not any prior experience with installing custom ROMs, but after trying it out (and getting stuck, and googling and finding answers) I successfully did it. Below is my home screen if anybody is curious:

I use OpenBoard for my keyboard. Unfortunately I am still dependent on Play Store since some of the apps I need can only be found there. Sometimes it feels meaningless committing to this whole thing because I'm not perfectly private; then I think this is better than using a regular iPhone or Android phone.

So far I'm liking it. I am naturally inclined to feel hesitant about using this as my main phone and plugging in a SIM since it's custom, but I'm slowly making the transition.

Feel free to share any beginners advice or your own experience using GOS for the first time. Cheers!

Is there something similar to privacy.com in Europe so I don’t have to enter my credit card information everywhere? Or another way to buy stuff online privately on many different stores and websites?

I'm looking for ones that ideally don't log IP. Is there a guide somewhere that looks into each of these instances and whether or not they fulfill the privacy promise?

I'm most interested in Invidious.

I prefer Librewolf as it is easier and simpler to use

TL;DR I am looking for confidential genetic testing, as I am concerned about potential misuse of my genetic information could lead to a conservatorship or loss of autonomy. I am willing to travel, and I would like all records destroyed after testing. I am also open to international options to ensure my privacy.

I'm seeking a confidential method for genetic testing, as I have concerns about my privacy. I reside in the USA and suspect I might have a mosaic genetic condition based on certain phenotype traits I observe. I'm not comfortable with my genetic information being stored in databases or shared, and I'd prefer the lab records, testing data, and results all be destroyed after completion. I'm open to traveling for this testing if necessary, especially since I do not trust US laws to provide adequate privacy protection or the right to delete medical records.

I've had experiences that have shaken my trust in institutions and governments handling sensitive information ethically, including having medical information shared without my consent by a hospital and it later being legally determined they did not violate my HIPPA rights in the process. I'm worried that my genetic information could be used against me, potentially leading to conservatorship or loss of financial autonomy. I'd like to avoid providing any legal documentation for the testing, if possible.

I'm also concerned about the security of genetic databases and the potential for breaches. Ideally, I'd like all records of the testing and medical records to be destroyed after completion to prevent unauthorized access.

Is there a way to ensure my privacy while getting the genetic testing I need? I'm open to exploring options in other countries, as long as I can ensure my privacy is protected. Please address only my privacy concerns related to genetic testing. I'm not interested in suggestions about mental health support or therapy at this time.

I do not authorize or approve of any unauthorized data scraping or AI training using this post; such actions would be unethical and without my permission.

How are you storing passwords and 2FA keys that proliferate across every conceivable online service these days?

What made you choose that solution and have you considered what would happen in life altering situations like, hardware failure, theft, fire, divorce, death?

If you're using an online solution, has it been hacked and how did that impact you?

I want to be logged in so I can do most things on Reddit like post and comment. I want it to be a web frontend rather than an app because I keep many tabs on Reddit open in my browser while doing research on things (like digital privacy for instance!). I did some searching and didn't find any currently working frontends with login support.

cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/post/163062

Last year Danny Mekić wrote this article : https://dannymekic.com/202310/undermining-democracy-the-european-commissions-controversial-push-for-digital-surveillance which was published in a newspaper and then the author got shadow-banned on X. Today the same Dutch newspaper reported that Mekić won two court-cases about this.

• Dutch article about the verdict - paywall : https://www.volkskrant.nl/tech/x-mag-gebruikers-niet-meer-zomaar-shadowbannen-oordeelt-amsterdamse-rechter~befb7fd0/

• Archived copy : https://archive.ph/ckW2a

• tl;dr English translation :

X is not allowed to shadow-ban users easily the judge said. Only during the court-case X explained why the account of Meki was shadow-banned : He had shared an article about the CSAM law on X. "I still
do not understand why X this only said in the court hall, rather than telling me right away when I
asked about it" Mekić said.

• Mekić on Mastodon : https://mastodon.social/@DannyMekic
• The author's username on X : DannyMekic
• Article from last year by WIRED : https://www.wired.com/story/csar-chat-scan-proposal-european-commission-ads/

It seems like the main benefit of such frontends is the lack of trackers and fingerprinting, but what if the browser, like Firefox, already did that with UBlock Origin and fingerprinting protection?

It's kind of common for me to change DNS servers frequently, so I created a light page which list all the DNS servers that I know of that does not log DNS requests.

Link: https://secu.pages.dev/

I wanted to post it here for people who are like me and needed a project like this.

Using anonymous global or regional data esims not only improves your privacy, but gives you better service. Because you are usually in roaming, if the coverage of one operator is not good, or they have an outage, you can usually use a different one, which is not possible if you're "at home".

Also you can have one as a backup. Mobimatter has so far the best prices and 1 year validity of data. Keepgo has also good programs. Bitrefill has shorter term, but can be cheaper per gb. All three support crypto payments for additional privacy.

Came across this tip on nostr

I am wondering if an ISP or network admin on my network would be able to change where a DNS server is located at (ex: if a DNS server is located at 132.192.175.210, the ISP/netadmin can redirect it to their own server at 11.29.102.201 to change where the DNS records point to). Does DNSSEC and DoH/DoT combat this, and how? Why is it safe to use a domain for DoH/DoT if it requires going through insecure DNS to get to a secure DNS?

It's now been two weeks since I created an account and tried making a post, but immediately so I got a message saying my account is on hold. I tried emailing Jonah Aragon who's listed on the site, and messaging the mods on the forum, but still haven't heard back. Any ideas for what to do? This is really annoying.

Solution: I came up with this uBlock Origin filter rule: startpage.com$removeparam=/abp|lui/, I started by removing all the paramters and then took them out one by one while testing if searches made on startpage.com worked with them: startpage.com$removeparam=/abp|t|lui|sc|cat/. I also got a response from u/SPSupport that the paramters don't show when I search from the URL bar with my search engine set to https://www.startpage.com/sp/search?query=%s, which I did.

I want to be able to see the search query in the URL, and have a URL that I can always go back to if I restart my browser. I set the HTTP request method in settings to GET instead of POST since that shows the query, but it adds a bunch of extra paramters:

• The URL I want: https://www.startpage.com/sp/search?query=wizard+of+oz
• The URL I get: https://www.startpage.com/sp/search?query=wizard+of+oz&abp=1&t=device&lui=english&sc=evp2qxFIy8iZ00&cat=web

https://github.com/umutcamliyurt/I2Proxy