redSec @RedSec@mastodon.social

hi! internet is a place under constant and heavy surveillance by surveillance capitalism. but still we must use it every day. we can't afford not to. let's not accept this submission as a fact! let's do whatever we can to defend ourselves and our communities! this account is made to collect useful pieces from all over the net to help us fight back.

sf/sn!

redSec

Announcing Cwtch: Privacy Preserving Infrastructure for Asynchronous, Decentralized, Multi-Party, and Metadata Resistant Applications

https://openprivacy.ca/blog/2018/06/28/announcing-cwtch/

Do you know that when you share your pics you also share so much more? #Metadata can contain the location where the picture was shot, the date and time of shooting, your phone model, aperture, exposure time, etc... Why sharing all this private info with the internetz and #surveillance capitalism when there's no need to?

Scrambled #Exif is a #FOSS app that removes metadata from your pics before sharing. With one click they're all gone.
https://f-droid.org/app/com.jarsilio.android.scrambledeggsif

Think you’re protecting your smartphone password? Think again - The Globe and Mail - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/technology/article-think-youre-protecting-your-smartphone-password-think-again/

#Offline #keyboard - a smart choice! /2

So it's a smart choice to use a keyboard without #internet #access. Here are three suggestions:

1. Simple keyboard: a fork of AOSP keyboard, #FOSS but very basic.
https://f-droid.org/app/rkr.simplekeyboard.inputmethod

2. AnySoftKeyboard: FOSS and customizable.
https://f-droid.org/app/com.menny.android.anysoftkeyboard

3. Multiling O Keyboard: very customizable, maybe too complicated to set up.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kl.ime.oh

#Offline #keyboard - a smart choice! /1

Have you ever browse or set the #privacy settings on your Glooge, SwfitKey or other keyboard you use? Do you know that most keyboards, even the ones preinstalled by a device manufacturer, have internet access? They can profile you, spy on your texts and passwords and send whatever they want to wherever they want.

Remember: device #security is an economic (class) issue! Having a budget device could mean that you allow a manufacturer to spy on your data.

Operation #Debloat /4

MIND: THOSE WERE INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADVANECED ANDROID USERS THAT SHOULD KNOW HOW TO SYS-RESET A DEVICE THAT WON'T BOOT OR IS IN A LOOP. ALSO, ANDROID DEVICES ARE NOT ALL THE SAME. WHAT WORKS WITH MINE MAYBE DOESN'T WORK WITH YOURS. SO I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOU DO TO YOURS AND PROBABLY WON'T HAVE THE TIME OR WILL TO HELP YOU OUT.

Mind that if you fuck up your system really hard you can always do a system reset and you'll be back at point zero because all the apps you've "uninstalled" are still there. They were only gone from the android user account you were using, becomming sorta ghosts apps (not being used at all).

Operation #Debloat /3

instructions:

1. install #ADB on Windows:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317790

2. or on Ubuntu Linux:
https://www.linuxbabe.com/ubuntu/how-to-install-adb-fastboot-ubuntu-16-04-16-10-14-04

3. get APK Analyzer, a #FOSS app to show you the package names of apps on your phone:
https://github.com/MartinStyk/AndroidApkAnalyzer

4. get rid of bloatware:

adb devices 

adb shell

pm uninstall -k --user 0 "package_name"

Be carefull uninstalling sys apps!!

Operation #Debloat /2

Some apps can't be uninstalled or frozen and we can't really recommend rooting your device since it's a dangerous practice. But that doesn't mean you can't do anything about it. There's one neat tweak to get rid of any system app you don't like being active on your system.

Using #ADB you can delete any unwanted app from your android user account. Since most people only use one user account on a device that means those apps are still present but effectively "gone".

Operation #Debloat /1

Your new Android device by default comes with a lot of #bloatware from the manufacturer, the big G or your operator. Some of them like Facebook or Twitter can easily be uninstalled in settings.

Under settings/apps (actual path varies by device and android version) you can find the list of all apps, system ones and downloaded, and #uninstall any downloaded and even some of the preinstalled.

You can also #freeze many of the apps that can't be uninstalled, like Glooge ones.

Personal-device security is an economic issue! (economic = class)

(cheap) Android devices ship with pre-installed malware - https://blog.avast.com/android-devices-ship-with-pre-installed-malware?utm_campaign=socialposts_us&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social

Brave's AI blocks ads better than today's browser plug-in - https://www.cnet.com/news/braves-ai-blocks-ads-better-than-todays-browser-plug-ins-company-says/

Android Users: To Avoid Malware, Try the F-Droid App Store by @fdroidorg

https://www.wired.com/story/android-users-to-avoid-malware-ditch-googles-app-store/

#RouterAlert!

Hackers infect 500,000 consumer routers all over the world with malware - https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/05/hackers-infect-500000-consumer-routers-all-over-the-world-with-malware/

An interesting question: do I need PrivacyBadger if I have uBlock installed?
Short answer: mostly not but sometimes it could help.