Right. It’s different in that it lacks Google Framework Service, and adds a bunch of privacy controls, like additional quick toggles to control the cameras, and microphone, the way other Android can quick toggle the flashlight and location servcies and bluetooth.

The biggest thing is substantially more granular per app permissions, controlled from a calentral interface in settings.

I setup a mail forward, and check the ‘to’ address to all incoming messages for about a year.

Lol. Thank you. Sometimes when rational thought and optimism are at ods, I choose optimism.

• The largest e-commerce platform in latin america and the most used in my country requires FR to use it.

I minimize my use of the largest eCommerce platform in my country. It’s a pain, but it can be done, and I feel good about my money going to organizations that better match my values.

• The bank is now pressing me to use their app with FR as a 2fa when using homebanking from its website, something that wasn’t necessary up to some weeks ago.

Sounds like a great opportunity to check into joining a credit union. All banks are predatory. There’s lots of other great reasons to minimize your exposure to banks.

• The telecoms demands FR from now on if you want a new SIM card in case you lost your phone or it’s been stolen.
• The government is in the same direction as it’s moving to digitalizing many burocratic procedures and also requires FR.

I imagine you may be stuck with these. Sometimes we can’t win them all.

I wouldn’t take that as a reason to give up. Having your face on file in fewer places is very lively to save you future headaches.

Ideally this will be less of a concern in the future, when the vast majority of organizations no longer have utter shit for Cybersecurity.

But that day is not today.

I mean, it has, a bunch of times. And they haven’t so far.

But I agree, in principle. When they’re impacted, in a way they actually understand, things may get better.

Yeah. Good point.

What we have for open hardware and firmware, on phones, in particular, is very slim pickings.

Open hardware has open source firmware.

We don’t have all that much of it yet, but it exists.

It’s nice. I use it to communicate with peers who weren’t afraid to set it up.

Support the people, not the country.

I agree wholeheartedly.

you’re probably a KeePass person?

Yeah. I feel seen. Naturally I try to only use the finest artisinal open source from F-Droid.

Though, honestly, I’m impressed by BitWarden and I’m happy enough to recommend it.

Uh… I’m a patriot.

I fully support my country in every meaningful way, especially those ways that might otherwise make my billionaire overlords feel threatened enough to put a hit out on me.

More seriously, my neighbors are, on average, fantastic people, that deserve my support.

Edit: To be clear, I fully agree that this should piss us all off.

Generally they need all of your personal information (Full Name, Date of Birth and SSN - which costs them 25 cents or less on the dark web), plus your username and password that you create when you first visit each site. (Which hopefully isn’t on the dark web, because it’s new and unique.)

The new username and password that you create are what give some security.

And a warning, only because someone reading along will need it:

don’t re-use a password used elsewhere.

Re-used passwords, from past data breaches, paired nicely with email addresses and full names, also cost about 25 cents on the dark web.

Yes! And don’t pay these assholes a dime for the privilege.

They’re legally required to provide freezes for free, but two of them were trying to sell it as a service through misleading page links, last time I checked.

What does freezing your credit do, exactly?

It prevents opening new credit cards or other lines of credit in your name.

The reason this matters is lots of fraudsters are using names and SSNs they bought on the dark web, to open credit cards they have no intention of paying back.

If you’re an American, your name and SSN combination is almost certainly for sale for about 25 cents, on the dark web, today.

Freezing your credit at all three agencies is the only effective prevention, today.

The credit agencies will attempt to charge you a monthly fee for the privilege, but don’t fall for it. They’re legally required to provide the service for free.

If I’m ever a juror on a murder trial where the “victim” worked in leadership at one of the big three credit agencies, I’ll have to admit that I couldn’t possibly convict someone for that.

Is this still something someone should do if they don’t even have any credit cards?

Yes. Absolutely. Being a victim of credit fraud can make it impossible to get a home mortgage, or even get certain jobs or apartments. It can be incredibly difficult and expensive to clean up, and the burden is largely left entirely on the victim.

Lol. I can’t recall if I’ve ever had to actually award the bonus treasure from this setup.

The most memorable case was a crit 20 on an investigate roll, well after the aftermath of the fireball.

And even then, the party member who figured it out just shrugged and said “worth it”.

The party at least got to cash in the ruined scraps for a little extra cash, as a reward for the bothering to make an investigate roll.

Baby steps. Haha.

And priceless artifacts… All made solely of wood and straw.

Win10 x64 but considering switching that as well btw

Your don’t have to say that, but it’s appreciated!

Blink twice if the cult of Debian has you locked in a rehabilitation retreat center…

Source: I’m a die hard Debian user and I think we should advertise more, but I’m afraid some of my ideas might have gotten away from me…

Good to know. Thanks!

Yeah. I don’t mean to correct you. Just trying to give a full picture for folks reading along.

Lyft is a necessity for me, so I couldn’t have switched to GrapheneOs without it.

Lyft works fine with sandboxed GFS on GrapheneOS, though.