I agree, it’s not a tool, it’s a compromised and dangerous device and I have to carry it with me carefully. I have always turned off my location from time to time and carefully managed permissions, but nowadays here’s what I do:
Graphene
no biometric login
no stale data on the device. If I won’t need it while I am mobile, does it need to be on my phone?
location off, BT off, and airplane mode when going into grocery stores or any surveillance a happy retailer.
factory wipe or alternate phone before traveling internationally, especially to countries with questionable rule of law, including my own
minimal non-FOSS apps (getting less every time I redo the phone)
any app that has a usable web portal or can be accessed on desktop only (Facebook, reddit) does not get installed.
no pairing with cars or other BT devices that are known to be sketchy.
If I controlled the software on a deeper level, I would set it up to have a toggle where it will only connect to the cell network every 30-60 minutes. There is little in my life that is more important than a half hour response time, so why am I continuously broadcasting my triangulated location? I would have that toggle turned on 90% of the time.
I agree, it’s not a tool, it’s a compromised and dangerous device and I have to carry it with me carefully. I have always turned off my location from time to time and carefully managed permissions, but nowadays here’s what I do:
If I controlled the software on a deeper level, I would set it up to have a toggle where it will only connect to the cell network every 30-60 minutes. There is little in my life that is more important than a half hour response time, so why am I continuously broadcasting my triangulated location? I would have that toggle turned on 90% of the time.