OpSec Lounge (Security, Privacy, etc.)

[Jacob Robinson]

Get a pager and keep your phone turned off unless you need to actually use it. Pagers just receive messages, they do not transmit their locations, and big tech forgot there ever was such a thing as pagers. Have one issued from where I work, but they are still available for anyone to buy. One AA battery lasts for months--do not have to always look for a charger.

My phone is a simple flip phone. Used to a have a smart phone, all the way back to one of those BlackBerry's with the keyboard. Do not miss them. If I want to use a computer, I sit down in front of a computer. If I want to watch a movie I go to the living room and turn the TV on. If I want to read something, I go to the library and read something. I don't try to do all three at once. And I don't think it does any good to constantly be distracted by a smart phone. I still have an old TomTom GPS in the car for when I need directions. Skipping a smart phone saves money, besides maintaining sanity and keeping big brother at bay.

 

[Max Roscoe]

Get a pager and keep your phone turned off unless you need to actually use it. Pagers just receive messages, they do not transmit their locations, and big tech forgot there ever was such a thing as pagers. Have one issued from where I work, but they are still available for anyone to buy. One AA battery lasts for months--do not have to always look for a charger.

My phone is a simple flip phone. Used to a have a smart phone, all the way back to one of those BlackBerry's with the keyboard. Do not miss them. If I want to use a computer, I sit down in front of a computer. If I want to watch a movie I go to the living room and turn the TV on. If I want to read something, I go to the library and read something. I don't try to do all three at once. And I don't think it does any good to constantly be distracted by a smart phone. I still have an old TomTom GPS in the car for when I need directions. Skipping a smart phone saves money, besides maintaining sanity and keeping big brother at bay.

I agree. Even after the smart phone came out, I preferred having one device (flip phone) to talk on, and a second one (ipod touch, then later got an iphone 6 with battery case that will charge it 3 times and no data plan) to take notes, pull up a map, etc. For other things, I prefer using a real computer / tv / gps. My smartphone is wifi only, and the main thing I use it for is a casual camera, and playing back podcasts in my car, or while sitting on my porch listing through my bluetooth speaker.

I don't need or want to have a live data connection everywhere I go. It's distracting and stressful, honestly. Someone who is constantly on call and can be beckoned by anyone who knows your phone number is in my book a slave. I need a dedicated GPS because I sometimes travel to places without cell service, and google maps won't work there. The smartphone is a compromise on screen size, efficiency, GPS performance, and battery life, compared to dedicated single purpose devices like TomToms or laptops, and the absurd thing is they cost more than buying all of those separate superior products would (figure, $1,000 plus another $1,000 in service fees every year).

I didn't realize pagers still worked. Are they using separate networks from the cell companies? I know most cell companies are shutting down older systems like 2G data completely.

 

[Jacob Robinson]

...
I didn't realize pagers still worked. Are they using separate networks from the cell companies? I know most cell companies are shutting down older systems like 2G data completely.

There are still pager services out there. There are a couple of nation-wide companies that cover some of the larger cities, and some smaller cities still have a pager companies. May or may not be pager service in one's area, just have to look into it.

Pagers never used cellular technology to being with, so old cell technology going away is not an issue. They do not keep up with where the pagers are. They just broadcast a few dozen bytes of data across the service area for each page. So long as each service area is line-of-site, one or a few broadcast antennas would work. Doctors, volunteer firemen, EMS, and others industries still use them. Some paging services allow short emails to be sent, sort of like one-way texting. Others allow short voice mails to be transmitted. Some just give a phone number.

 

[Max Roscoe]

I'm surprised there are enough pager customers out there to support renting tower space on a separate system. But I guess it's a high margin business. I had a free text capable pager over 15 years ago from this company called totallyfreepaging.com that would occasionally send you ads. It was great for a broke teenager with no cell phone who wanted to keep in touch with ladies in various cities.

One of the key techniques for preserving your privacy and security is to go against the flow. The powers that be never worry about 100% compliance. They focus on what can capture 90% of the data for a very cheap price. And one of the very best techniques is to imagine what the smallest minority of people are doing. For example, they may implement smart phone based vaccine tracking, but they won't require it for the small number of people that do not own a cell phone. There's no rule that says one must pay for telephone service, or even have a driver's license, and hundreds of thousands of people do not. I had totally forgotten about pagers.

 

[open source]

Adding 1 more extension.

Nano Defender - Stop seeing those annoying "Looks like you have adblocker? Please turn it off" notifications. You can use it together with uBlock Origin, a few extra steps required.

The extension author could not maintain the extensions (Nano Defender and Nano Adblocker) anymore so he sold it some anonymous Turkish persons who turned it into malware. Much to the anger of the existing users.

[Announcement] Recent and upcoming changes to the Nano projects · Issue #362 · NanoAdblocker/NanoCore

Important updates and disclaimers: The WebStore listings are no longer under my control. I am not responsible for the actions of the new developer(s). If you feel concerned about the recent changes...

github.com

Discussions regarding recent changes to the Nano projects · Issue #2 · jspenguin2017/Snippets

Original announcement: NanoAdblocker/NanoCore#362 Please continue the discussions here. Please take the time to read the original announcement (the entire thread) before posting your comment. Final...

github.com

It has since been removed from the chrome webstore but you could still be infected (especially if you were logged into instagram, facebook). I believe this only affects chromium (chrome, brave, edge not included).

A blog post on what to do:

Help for Users Impacted by Infected Extensions | tweedge's blog

If 'User-Agent Switcher', 'Nano Adblocker', or 'Nano Defender' sound familiar to you, I might have some bad news. A malware operator I am investigating has e...

chris.partridge.tech

 

[Coja Petrus Uscan]

Tagged: @Deepdiver , @redbeard , @open source , @Replicant_Gyr , @acco , @joost , @SvenTuga .

I am finally going to get the phone sorted and am looking for advice on what would be most appropriate. It seems like GrapheneOS is overkill and will leave you with buggy or non-working apps. It also looks like it is at risk of being abandoned.

There are a few apps I need: Booking.com, Crypto.com, Maps, Uber/Yandex Taxi are the most essential. But I'm looking to maintain access to as many Android apps as possible, with least trade-off in terms of security.

Any tips on phones would also be appreciated.

 

[redbeard]

Tagged: @Deepdiver , @redbeard , @open source , @Replicant_Gyr , @acco , @joost , @SvenTuga .

I am finally going to get the phone sorted and am looking for advice on what would be most appropriate. It seems like GrapheneOS is overkill and will leave you with buggy or non-working apps. It also looks like it is at risk of being abandoned.

There are a few apps I need: Booking.com, Crypto.com, Maps, Uber/Yandex Taxi are the most essential. But I'm looking to maintain access to as many Android apps as possible, with least trade-off in terms of security.

Any tips on phones would also be appreciated.

Calyx might be better for you:

 

[Coja Petrus Uscan]

Calyx might be better for you:

Thanks. I have picked up an older version of the Pixel and will give this a go.

Will post results later.

 

[Coja Petrus Uscan]

I'm going to post an install guide for ClaxyOS on Linux as the official guide was probably the worst guide I have ever followed.

@redbeard - I assume you have a mobile setup. What do you use (or recommend using) to install normal Android apps? I see ClayxOS has Aurora, which seems to have the normal offering of apps. And would you have any reservations install apps from there?

ClaxyOS Installation Guide for Linux

1) Download the build for your phone from here. Extract it. N.B. that only Pixels and some Chinese phone are supported.
2) Download Google Platform Tools, which allows you to install other OSs on your phone.
3) Extract Google Platform Tools to a directory, let's say home/gework/.adb
4) Open the file ~/.bashrc and and add the location of Google Platform Tools on a new line at the end:

export PATH=${PATH}:/home/gework/.adb

Change the path to wherever you have Google Platform Tools. Save and close.
5) Run the command source ~/.bashrc to reload the bashrc file.
6) Run the command fastboot --version ; if you get a response like fastboot version 30.0.4-6686687 then you are setup.
7) Give you Linux user permission to use Google Platform Tools by running the command sudo usermod -aG plugdev gework. Change gework to whatever your username is.
8) Run the command sudo apt-get install android-sdk-platform-tools-common to install some tools that may be needed.
9) Run the command fastboot devices with your phone plugged in; if you get a response then your phone is recognised.
10) On your phone go to Settings -> System -> About; tap on the Build number box (at the bottom) until a message pops up saying you are in developer mode.
11) On your phone go to Settings -> System -> Developer options and enable OEM unlocking.
12) Turn your phone off, while connected to your PC via USB. Hold the volume down and power button down together for about 5-7 seconds. N.B. That this facility is a bit problematic, as it has a tendency to go straight through to normal boot.
13) On the phone you should see a screen with a Android on it's back and a plate open on it's stomach. This is the bootloader. On your PC run the commands fastboot flashing unlock and fastboot flashing unlock_critical. When you run those you need to use the volume and power (select) button on your phone to give permission for those commands to be run.
14) Go to the directory where you downloaded ClyxOS to and run the command ./flash-all.sh. N.B. this should produce about 40 lines of install blurbs. If any of them end with FAILED then you have an error.
15) Allow the phone to boot by using the phone volume buttons to navigate to START and use power to select.
16) Follow the setup guide for the phone and then turn it off.
17) Re-enter the bootloader by holding to volume and power.
18) On your computer run the commands fastboot flashing lock_critical and fastboot flashing lock.

That will have you setup.

I will post back with experience later.

Notes on the phone.

I bought the Google Pixel 2 XL because I thought it was a standard size, but it's bigger than usual. The Google Pixel 2 is 5 inch, which I am under the impression is small. If buying again I'd go for the smaller model. As of writing the Pixel 2 can be bought for $170+ and the Pixel 2 XL for $230+. There are newer models. On The Pixel 2 XL it neither looks/feels cheap or expensive. The screen feels like it could take a good bashing. Apparently the reason Google devices are used for these privacy OSs is because they have some superior aspects lending to privacy. I defered to the experts on this, even though I'd much prefer to have no links to Google.

A word or warning. Pixels only come with USB-C to USB-C cables. These have small heads and won't connect with the larger USB-A ports that have been on computers for years. I have three laptops and none of them had a USB-C port, so I had to buy a separate cable after finding I could not install CalyxOS. The cable cost $7. You can get non-official ones for less, but they might not work. The device also comes with a USB-A to C converter, which is useless, since they give you no USB-A cable.

Easter egg: @FilipSRB , @PainPositive

 

[redbeard]

I'm going to post an install guide for ClaxyOS on Linux as the official guide was probably the worst guide I have ever followed.

@redbeard - I assume you have a mobile setup. What do you use (or recommend using) to install normal Android apps? I see ClayxOS has Aurora, which seems to have the normal offering of apps. And would you have any reservations install apps from there?

ClaxyOS Installation Guide for Linux

1) Download the build for your phone from here. Extract it. N.B. that only Pixels and some Chinese phone are supported.
2) Download Google Platform Tools, which allows you to install other OSs on your phone.
3) Extract Google Platform Tools to a directory, let's say home/gework/.adb
4) Open the file ~/.bashrc and and add the location of Google Platform Tools on a new line at the end:

export PATH=${PATH}:/home/gework/.adb

Change the path to wherever you have Google Platform Tools. Save and close.
5) Run the command source ~/.bashrc to reload the bashrc file.
6) Run the command fastboot --version ; if you get a response like fastboot version 30.0.4-6686687 then you are setup.
7) Give you Linux user permission to use Google Platform Tools by running the command sudo usermod -aG plugdev gework. Change gework to whatever your username is.
8) Run the command sudo apt-get install android-sdk-platform-tools-common to install some tools that may be needed.
9) Run the command fastboot devices with your phone plugged in; if you get a response then your phone is recognised.
10) On your phone go to Settings -> System -> About; tap on the Build number box (at the bottom) until a message pops up saying you are in developer mode.
11) On your phone go to Settings -> System -> Developer options and enable OEM unlocking.
12) Turn your phone off, while connected to your PC via USB. Hold the volume down and power button down together for about 5-7 seconds. N.B. That this facility is a bit problematic, as it has a tendency to go straight through to normal boot.
13) On the phone you should see a screen with a Android on it's back and a plate open on it's stomach. This is the bootloader. On your PC run the commands fastboot flashing unlock and fastboot flashing unlock_critical. When you run those you need to use the volume and power (select) button on your phone to give permission for those commands to be run.
14) Go to the directory where you downloaded ClyxOS to and run the command ./flash-all.sh. N.B. this should produce about 40 lines of install blurbs. If any of them end with FAILED then you have an error.
15) Allow the phone to boot by using the phone volume buttons to navigate to START and use power to select.
16) Follow the setup guide for the phone and then turn it off.
17) Re-enter the bootloader by holding to volume and power.
18) On your computer run the commands fastboot flashing lock_critical and fastboot flashing lock.

That will have you setup.

I will post back with experience later.

Notes on the phone.

I bought the Google Pixel 2 XL because I thought it was a standard size, but it's bigger than usual. The Google Pixel 2 is 5 inch, which I am under the impression is small. If buying again I'd go for the smaller model. As of writing the Pixel 2 can be bought for $170+ and the Pixel 2 XL for $230+. There are newer models. On The Pixel 2 XL it neither looks/feels cheap or expensive. The screen feels like it could take a good bashing. Apparently the reason Google devices are used for these privacy OSs is because they have some superior aspects lending to privacy. I defered to the experts on this, even though I'd much prefer to have no links to Google.

A word or warning. Pixels only come with USB-C to USB-C cables. These have small heads and won't connect with the larger USB-A ports that have been on computers for years. I have three laptops and none of them had a USB-C port, so I had to buy a separate cable after finding I could not install CalyxOS. The cable cost $7. You can get non-official ones for less, but they might not work. The device also comes with a USB-A to C converter, which is useless, since they give you no USB-A cable.

Easter egg: @FilipSRB , @PainPositive

If you want to be 100% secure you have to stick to FDroid. The problem with Aurora and other third-party apps is...they're third party apps, and you have no idea what's going on inside. For example why would you remove Google from your OS...but allow them to track you with Google Maps?

If you must use third party apps Aurora is the best option.

 

[Coja Petrus Uscan]

If you want to be 100% secure you have to stick to FDroid. The problem with Aurora and other third-party apps is...they're third party apps, and you have no idea what's going on inside. For example why would you remove Google from your OS...but allow them to track you with Google Maps?

If you must use third party apps Aurora is the best option.

So do you keep with F-driod apps? It seems there are only about 30 or so available apps.

I don't want to install any Google apps. Considering whether to keep two phones, one with lower security standards.

 

[Justin C]

So do you keep with F-driod apps? It seems there are only about 30 or so available apps.

I don't want to install any Google apps. Considering whether to keep two phones, one with lower security standards.

Honestly the best option. Dumbphone for communicating. Smartphone for your mini computer on the go. Turned off most of the time till you need it.

 

[Joseph-Schumpeter]

Honestly the best option. Dumbphone for communicating. Smartphone for your mini computer on the go. Turned off most of the time till you need it.

I must agree, however, if your mini computer on the go is off most the time, why not make it a tablet with mobile data instead of an actual cell phone. The advantage here is that the tablet with mobile data will prioritize data signals from cell towers. Phones prioritize differently which makes them worse if you're trying to use them as a hotspot. Tablets make great unlimited data hotspots on the go for this reason.. thus you can pop out your based 8 year old thinkpad running linux to access the web from your tablet when needed.

Anyway, this is what I've found most effective for what I'm going. I've been anti smart phone since they came out. A flip phone and a tablet with mobile data is the right compromise for me right now.

I am really interested in what phones have been successfully leveraged for mobile linux installation, but not for myself.. just grab a thinkpad x220 (nice and small), t420s (medium) or t420 (large) off of ebay, install a good linux distro like Arch and de-bigTech yourself.
I'm not convinced even that is a perfect solution, but it's about all I've figured out to do at this point.

 

[Coja Petrus Uscan]

There is a new plugin that will redirect any links to Twitter, YouTube, Instagram & Google Maps to Nitter, Invidious, Bibliogram and Open Street Map.

Brave/Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/privacy-redirect/pmcmeagblkinmogikoikkdjiligflglb/related
Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/privacy-redirect/

The Invidious links also work for embeds, though Nitter is not used for embeds. I didn't know of that site. Looks like it works well:

Roosh (@rooshv)

I lived on a mountain ⛰ Read my articles: http://rooshv.com, Forum: http://rooshvforum.com, Gab: @rooshv, Telegram: @rooshofficial

nitter.dark.fail

 

[DeusLuxMeaEst]

Bump.

With Biden being president in a few weeks, the CCP style surveillance and social credit score type systems will be implemented. Don't make it easy for them.

Roosh has guidance in the forum rules:

Forum Rules & FAQ

Forum Rules (Last updated 12/22/21) This is a forum for Christians. If you are not a practicing Christian, you may lurk but not post. We have strict rules that allow the forum to exist as a unified community. If you fail to read the following rules, there is a high chance that you will put your...

www.rooshvforum.com

If you don't care about being doxxed that's one thing, but if you have family, children, or just don't want to be harassed, think very hard about any information you post that could potentially identify you.

 

[Easy_C]

Slightly related question: how can I filter my LinkedIN profile pic so I look more melanated? I want to darken my skin so I look Hispanic online.

 

[Easy_C]

Pagers just receive messages, they do not transmit their locations, and big tech forgot there ever was such a thing as pagers. Have one issued from where I work, but they are still available for anyone to buy

How does one set up to receive messages on a pager?

 

[Jacob Robinson]

How does one set up to receive messages on a pager?

Have to find a pager service in your area that offers it. Some towns have them, and some regions have them as well.

To clarify how pagers work: it is not 3G or 5G, etc., it is an old school radio tower that just sends out the message in every direction via VHF. VHF goes further than UHF, and may only need one tower for a given area. It does not track where a pager is. If the correct pager is on, it gets the message. If it is not, it does not get the message.

 

[Coja Petrus Uscan]

ClaxyOS

Update on using a de-Googled phone.

This has been the greatest of all feelings of getting off the tech reservation. Calyx has a very Linux feel, compared the the glaring glow of the userholic-inducing Android.

I have decided to install a few APKs on it (apps from the Google Play Store). These are installed via an app called Aurora Store, which is a FOSS interface for Google Play that just downloads the APK from Google Play. I made this decision as there are only about 1,000 apps you can install via the FOSS f-Driod store. I have it in mind to get another higher privacy phone, but am more interested in moving away from phones period, so may just stick with this as it is. Aurora Store (for me at least) is a bit buggy. It doesn't work on my VPN and it has to be restarted each time I want to install something.

I did have a few technical issues with getting things set up, mainly Aurora, which I had to change some settings in to get working.

I tried installing about twelve apps, and just over half of them worked on the device. The ones that don't work are probably as it does not have Google Play Services. This might be able to be mimicked, but I have not looked into it. If you want to move to a more secure phone, I would use what apps you can via a browser instead. Only install apps you really need. I also had another app stop working after Calyx updated itself.

A big issue with installing apps from Google Play / Aurora is that they are all riddled with trackers like Google Analytics and Facebook. A simple way to get round this is get a good block list for your hosts file. Or for less tech people there is a FOSS app called Blockada, which is a VPN and block list. A nice feature of it is it shows all the hosts your device is connecting to. So you can check and block suspicious or tracking hosts. It also has complied block-lists for x-rated content, trackers etc.

ClayxOS comes with a free VPN, but it is both a bit slow (300kbps) and doesn't seem to try and keep a connection whenever connected to the internet.

It may be something to do with a new phone, but I do not have a problem with slow apps on this phone. On my old one I did.

CalyxOS has very little adoption and there is very little reference on it. But the organisation that maintains it is quite serious. At the moment there are a number of FOSS OSs with small user bases. Hopefully they can grow over the coming years, but I don't see any mass adoption likely. At current it is quite a high-knowledge task to setup a phone. So if you are looking for a phone and hoping to preserve some Google Play apps, CalyxOS is a good choice - just make sure you install something to block trackers from your Play apps. Otherwise get GrapheneOS.

 

[redbeard]

Update on using a de-Googled phone.

This has been the greatest of all feelings of getting of the tech reservation. Calyx has a very Linux feel, compared the the glaring glow of the userholic-inducing Android.

I have decided to install a few APKs on it (apps from the Google Play Store). These are installed via an app called Aurora Store, which is a FOSS interface for Google Play that just downloads the APK from Google Play. I made this decision as there are only about 1,000 apps you can install via the FOSS f-Driod store. I have it in mind to get another higher privacy phone, but am more interested in moving away from phones period, so may just stick with this as it is. Aurora Store (for me at least) is a bit buggy. It doesn't work on my VPN and it has to be restarted each time I want to install something.

I did have a few technical issues with getting things set up, mainly Aurora, which I had to change some settings in to get working.

I tried installing about twelve apps, and just over half of them worked on the device. The ones that don't work are probably as it does not have Google Play Services. This might be able to be mimicked, but I have not looked into it. If you want to move to a more secure phone, I would use what apps you can via a browser instead. Only install apps you really need. I also had another app stop working after Calyx updated itself.

A big issue with installing apps from Google Play / Aurora is that they are all riddled with trackers like Google Analytics and Facebook. A simple way to get round this is get a good block list for your hosts file. Or for less tech people there is a FOSS app called Blockada, which is a VPN and block list. A nice feature of it is it shows all the hosts your device is connecting to. So you can check and block suspicious or tracking hosts. It also has complied block-lists for x-rated content, trackers etc.

ClayxOS comes with a free VPN, but it is both a bit slow (300kbps) and doesn't seem to try and keep a connection whenever connected to the internet.

It may be something to do with a new phone, but I do not have a problem with slow apps on this phone. On my old one I did.

CalyxOS has very little adoption and there is very little reference on it. But the organisation the maintains it is quite serious. At the moment there are a number of FOSS OSs with small user bases. Hopefully they can grow over the coming years, but I don't see any mass adoption likely. At current it is quite a high-knowledge task to setup a phone. So if you are looking for a phone and hoping to preserve some Google Play apps, CalyxOS is a good choice - just make sure you install something to block trackers from your Play apps. Otherwise get GrapheneOS.

Regarding trackers, you can probably stop them with a DNS resolver like AdGuard:

Privacy Tools: Fight Mass Surveillance with Encryption

The most reliable source for privacy tools since 2015. Software, services and privacy guides to fight surveillance with encryption for better internet privacy.

www.privacytools.io