I know that GrapheneOS has a lot of security features that make it basically impossible to compromise your phone. And that it has a lot of control over permissions and has some privacy features. But it also has a Google Services compatibility that would allow you to use Google services, which would allow Google to harvest a lot of data from you; much less data, but still some. Now OSes like CalyxOS or Lineage have microG which in addition to giving you the APIs, it uses less battery and has the ability to use Mozilla network location to stop google from getting that data. CalyxOS and Lineage don’t have the crazy hardening modifications that GrapheneOS has, but Android is already crazy secure compared to something like Windows or Linux without a properly configured SELinux or AppArmor. Why have Graphene over Calyx?

  • newIdentity@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Sandboxed Google play service is actually more secure than MicroG.

    it also has a Google Services compatibility that would allow you to use Google services, which would allow Google to harvest a lot of data from you

    So does MicroG. Actually that’s kind of the point of both. Google play services exist to provide, well, Google play services like push notification which uses the Google servers. That’s the case with Sandboxed Google play and GrapheneOS.

    OSes like CalyxOS or Lineage have microG

    Yes. Pre-installed. That’s kind of a problem if you don’t want to use them in a specific profile. Also it’s quite a security issue since it needs signature spoofing to work which is insecure by definition.

    has the ability to use Mozilla network location to stop google from getting that data

    That alone doesn’t stop Google from getting your location data. Only not giving the your location data does this. On GrapheneOS you do this by… not enabling the location permission for any Google services including the play services.

    Also by default GrapheneOS already uses GrapheneOS servers for location data and you can set your own proxy in the location settings

    That’s basically everything about it. Yes, battery life is an issue on GrapheneOS with sandboxed Google play service, but well, at least it just has the permissions of a normal app. Not a privileged system app that pretends to be another app to work.

    • spookedbyroaches@lemm.eeOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yeah but those are the issues that I have. The idea is to have a private phone where you don’t have to worry about Google harvesting your data and keeping it forever. But when you have an OS that has all these features and then use the Google services that take all that data, what is the point?

      Also it’s quite a security issue since it needs signature spoofing to work which is insecure by definition.

      According to the last paragraph here, the spoofing at least in Calyx is limited to only microG. It’s less secure than a sandboxed thing, but I don’t think it’s gonna be that bad.