Privacy

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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

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Keyboard spyware? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I was taking a look at the Naomi Wu situation (A Chinese DIY tech youtuber who went missing after being watched by the government) and in one part they mentioned that she was concerned about her privacy, so started using Signal, but had a default chinese keyboard that had a keylogger and the police had looked into what she was talking on there.

I'm not sure if it was a mobile only thing, but it was mentioned that the keyboard app was used in like 70% por chinese smarthphones.

Now, I use AnySoftKey and refuse to use default keyboard apps, but how far can we reach on the keyboard security thing? Is typing on a computer or using a physical keyboard on a mobile device 100% safe? I think the keyboard issue is often overlooked and would like to know what recommendations your have? Or what should be known more?

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And dont ever use any Stock Android, its all spyware.

Also reboots your device if you try and revoke permissions from Google Play Services

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

What device does this? I am not in knowledge of any such Android device. All that happens is apps that require GMS will overlay a dialog box saying "Enable Google Play Services", else app will close. Some apps even work if you ignore that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm rooted using an FP3 (essentially stock, only a single preinstalled manufacturer app).

Revoking location permissions from Play Services reboots the device immediately (previously this didn't happen - the permissions would be revoked as expected, and things dependent on Google's location API would fail as expected) so I assume a GMS update was pushed via play store resulting in this reboot problem

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

I am starting to think that it might become harder to use 1 device for serious hardcore privacy, and Big Tech might be leading us to forcibly have 2 devices, one of them being the Big Tech Certified™. This is also happening with the TPM/Pluton/Hello requirements on computers.

It might be time for a new version of the smartphone guide...