Conversation

This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
Daniel Micay
@DanielMicay
No, I'm explicitly stating that it doesn't. The LineageOS security patch level is explicitly dishonest. They set it to the latest value across devices even when shipping only shipping a fraction of the security fixes required by the latest patch level. AOSP patches aren't enough.
1
This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
Daniel Micay
@DanielMicay
Non-Pixel devices also don't have comparable security at a firmware and hardware level. It can't be addressed with another OS. Also, only Pixels (and the Nexus 5X / 6P before them) support all the hardware security features like verified boot with alternate operating systems.
1
This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
Daniel Micay
@DanielMicay
You should be avoiding Android as a whole if you think they deliberately put in backdoors, because backdoors can be hidden in open source code as bugs. The same applies to other software where Google plays a substantial role including the Linux kernel and many other projects.
1
This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author. Learn more
Daniel Micay
@DanielMicay
It's worth keeping in mind that desktops and laptops have similar issues. They have huge numbers of components, many with their own complex firmware like HDDs/SSDs, Wi-Fi, etc. It's even rarer to have proper firmware updates on those than phones.
1
Daniel Micay
@DanielMicay
Replying to
@DanielMicay
AOSP offers much better privacy and security than a traditional operating system without a strong security model and strong exploit mitigations too. LineageOS hinders some of that, but most is still intact. Most devices not having full security updates is a huge issue though.
1
Daniel Micay
@DanielMicay
Replying to
@DanielMicay
There are a few Android phones other than Pixels receiving proper security updates and with decent software / hardware security features, but they aren't quite on the same level and usually don't have reliable support for even 3 years so I can't recommend that people use those.
1
Daniel Micay
@DanielMicay
Replying to
@DanielMicay
The best option for most people is buying an iPhone, since they'll get 5-6 years of security updates and a more privacy-friendly OS than the standard one on a Pixel. I think it's unfortunate that there's so little interest in making serious alternatives with comparable security.