47

Hi. I just got a new phone (Motorola) and spent a bunch of time manually removing access to location etc. I hate Google so much, "don't do evil" my ass. I'm just looking for my blindspots. Im not in tech so, what should be disabled to keep my phone private?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] CatZoomies@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Shrekislove posted some good advice, so I’ll add something here for you to evaluate based on what you said above.

“I hate Google so much… I’m just looking for my blindspots… Im not in tech”

Years ago I went all in and too fast on privacy. I’d recommend some guard rails as getting privacy is a journey. First you need to define what “privacy” is for you. Privacy is a spectrum. Only you can determine it based on your needs and wants, and you can do that by figuring out your threat model.

That old expression of tightening your grip and more things fall out applies here.

Think about your security and privacy. Think about what you’re willing to give up, and think about your relationships with others that can be impacted.

You can get recommendations and learn more about privacy by checking out privacyguides.org.

As for me? I’m basically at the point where I’m fatigued with big tech - especially smartphones. I’m waiting to see when GrapheneOS will reveal what new OEM they are working with, to determine if I’ll get another smartphone when my current one is too old. Else, my plan is to upgrade to a truly dumb 5g phone with hotspot. Then I’ll carry my Linux laptop with me and use that when I need the internet.

Best of luck! Don’t go too fast and evaluate everyone’s suggestions carefully. I don’t recommend just dropping the phone you got and going all in on buying a Pixel and installing GrapheneOS. That’s a drastic action to take suddenly since you’re still getting your feet wet on all this privacy stuff. You can improve privacy on your current phone, and then when you’re comfortable and if you decide you need the benefits of GrapheneOS, then look into upgrading in the future.

this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2026
47 points (94.3% liked)

Privacy

46465 readers
1833 users here now

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.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

Related communities

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS