Posted on December 22, 2021, 12:27 PM
Edward Snowden is one of the best-known names in circles where mass surveillance and the NSA (National Security Agency) in general are often the topics of discussion.
After working in the CIA and NSA, he fled the United States in 2013 and leaked thousands of classified NSA documents, exposing top-secret government information to the world.
As a high-profile American whistleblower, he still cannot return to his country, currently living under asylum in Russia, which granted him indefinite permanent residency from 2020.
We won't go into details about this fascinating man and his government leaks, but the one detail that concerns PhoneArena and phone enthusiasts is quite interesting to know.
Edward Snowden recommends GrapheneOS, an Android-based smartphone operating system
We've talked a lot about smartphone security and privacy this year. See also: PS5: Sony offers free trials of Death Stranding and Sackboy. We have given you a list of the most popular messaging apps
the most popular classified according to their degree of confidentiality, or to determine if the last
Apple's iPhone 13 truly respects your privacy as much as the Cupertino company suggests.
In the latter case, we are talking about the NSA, in particular its PRISM surveillance program, which the whole world would never have heard of without Snowden's leaks.
Anyway, if you're the type that doesn't trust Google or Apple to handle your private information, you might find GrapheneOS interesting.
This is a non-profit, open-source project developed by a small organization led by security engineer Daniel Micay, which claims to be a "privacy and security-focused mobile operating system and compatible with Android apps”. And he is!
If I were to configure a smartphone today, I would use @DanielMicay's @GrapheneOS as the base operating system. I would unsolder the microphones and keep the radios (cellular, wifi and bluetooth) off when not needed. I would route traffic through the @torproject network.
Related to this article:What should we know about LWS host?Even former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey showed interest in GrapheneOS
Early this year , Jack Dorsey, then CEO of Twitter, posted a cryptic tweet containing a simple link to the GrapheneOS website, appearing to give it a silent recommendation. This may interest you: Tesla improves the Model 3 and Model Y ranges with the year 2022.
Of course, in the absence of context, people had to figure it out on their own to figure out what he was trying to say, but it's safe to assume that Dorsey is also interested in this gaming-focused Android operating system. security.
What's wrong with using Android or iOS?
“The iOS and Android operating systems that power almost all smartphones hide countless programming flaws, known as security vulnerabilities, which make common applications like iMessage or web browsers dangerous: you can be hacked. “Read also: Tesla Model 3 review: performance, autonomy, comfort… all about the Tesla Model 3.
What does GrapheneOS look like?
Imagine stock Android without Google Play Services, and that's basically it. It's not a radically new experience, with a learning curve, but a fairly familiar Android experience. Except, of course, that it is technically safer. Let's see this quickly...
What's so secure about GrapheneOS?
First of all, despite being Android-based, GrapheneOS does not integrate Google apps or services, which which means you won't get any Big Brother vibes from the search engine giant, which normally collects quite a bit of information about you if you're using a regular Android phone.
And, as we mentioned, Google is reportedly participating in the NSA's PRISM program. This means that, upon request, Google will give the NSA all of your private information, including your Internet communications.
Also, without going into details, GrapheneOS offers enhanced disk encryption, which means that it would be very difficult for anyone, even professional hackers, to access your files.
Related to this article:Tesla Raises Tesla Model 3 and Model Y Prices Again, Adds New Standard PaintItems like how Wi-Fi works, cell tracking, basically everything depends from third parties (e.g. your Internet service provider) and which could allow you to be identified, is also modified or, at the very least, the GrapheneOS team advises you on how to approach it from the safest way.
And the list of security features gets more complicated after that. It is definitely not easy to be an individual these days.
Should I install GrapheneOS?
Unless you're also a government whistleblower taking asylum somewhere far from home, you probably don't need to go that far. to install GrapheneOS on your personal phone.