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] 29 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Keyboard is absolutely a thing to be careful with. On Android mobile, use OpenBoard for example. On computer, if you use Linux, also install kloak [https://github.com/Whonix/kloak], a tool that slightly delays randomly your keystrokes to help you hide your typing pattern that can definitively identify you

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

So, that makes your typing worse so you can't be identified?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Not worse, but less repeatable. You don't see any difference in typing, it just help reduce fingerprinting

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, it randomizes the key timing. It also doesn't address stylometry so you can still be identified, but it helps. I made a browser addon that does the same thing. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/private-keyboard/

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

Who exactly can view my typing pattern?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Absolutely every website you visit or app you use, if they track such info of course.