Removing by ADB is fine if you are able to identify which packages should be removed or if they’re already covered by Universal Debloater. You should also use Invizible Pro to control what connections are made and block trackers.

Gboard isn’t open source, which is why I disable internet access for it.

It isn’t a system app for my phone, so maybe. You could still use something like InviziblePro or RethinkDNS to disable its internet access without root though.

I use Gboard but with internet access disabled for it. I haven’t found a comparable open source keyboard yet.

Would “plus” addressing work for you? https://proton.me/support/creating-aliases

I don’t.

You can see what connections go through. No more than with GrapheneOS, and with stock I don’t have to trust the mentally unstable with my security.

Remove Google apps as part of the debloat process, restrict permissions beyond what Android allows by default for all system apps, using App Ops and Shizuku. Accomplishes the same thing as GrapheneOS.

You can make stock Android much more private. Universal debloat tool + Invisible Pro - remove unnecessary apps, restrict internet access to only the apps you want to have internet access, add a tracker blocker list.

Whoa that’s awesome! Think this might be a better solution than LibRedirect for me.

Can Farside be used for the browser search box or do you mean visit Farside as a one-time thing to find an instance?

Maybe open a dispute with your bank

Fixed:

I feel like everyone should have assumed this the second it was known this was a Chinese company…

It’s not as if the US doesn’t have access to data that US social media apps have.

The privacy you get from a VPN service is mainly from mixing your traffic with many other users and not keeping logs. No one knows for sure who visited which site.

If you self host a VPN, that protects you from your own ISP, and the sites you visit will not get your real IP, but your server host still knows what’s going on.

Isn’t LuckyPatcher closed source? How do you know that it isn’t inserting anything malicious into the patched apps?

You could say the same thing about all proprietary services that the privacy community is against though. Telegram is more popular and convenient than Berty, for example.

It just feels like a weird choice to go with Discord for this.

A privacy focused messenger that gathers on Discord? 😬

That’s when I’d consider using it. Hopefully it gets added to F-Droid soon.