i’ve been using graphene os for about a decade now and my second pixel (6a) is approaching it’s end date. i am not a techy person. i am, however someone concerned with digital privacy. when enough people who i find trustworthy endorse technology like graphene, i take a leap of faith because the alternative seems so much worse.
to get to my point, i’m wondering how the fairphone compares to graphene. my understanding is that most fairphone users run lineage os. does the security compare? does the repairability of fairphone compromise its security? i’d really appreciate an expert opinion or two.
I’ve had a Fairphone 4 running CalyxOS for years. I’m very happy with it.
I really like CalyxOS’ firewall app.
I would run GrapheneOS on the Fairphone. But the project stupidly decided to stick to Pixel phones for “purity” reasons, instead of recognizing that not everybody has threat models that require security cranked up to the max - not to mention, not everybody is cool with giving Google money or owning Google hardware. And now Google is pulling the rug from under them. Too bad…
It’s not for “purity reasons”. It’s because only Pixels (and their upcoming Motorola phone) have crucial security features like hardware memory tagging and the ability to physically disable the USB-C’s data transfer ports to protect against Cerberos. Cerberos is one of the main threats for end users’ security in the real world. Security “cranked up to the max” is not just for fun or for the love of the game. It’s the whole point of Graphene.
Additionally, you fail to mention that Graphene expected Google to eventually stop supporting the security features needed and partnered with Motorola to get around that ahead of time. Google didn’t rugpull Graphene, they rugpulled all Google Pixel 11+ users. Graphene is going to continue to be supported on Pixels other than Pixel 11, and it will continue with new OEM devices that have the required security features.
I say all of that as someone who used to daily drive Calyx. I moved to Graphene years ago, and prefer the featureset of Graphene. For example, Sandboxed Google Play is fantastic.
My next phone will likely be the Motorola, unless huge improvements are made with Postmarket (or whatever they rebranded to) from both usability and security standpoints.
i really appreciate this context.
“Security cranked up to the max” is the point of GrapheneOS. So far Pixel phones have been the only phones with the required hardware for security, and security updates. Most other phones are way behind on security updates. Now that Motorola will have the right hardware they will support some Motorola models next year. If Fairphone wanted to make a secure phone they could lay the foundation in hardware and updates. Last I read from them they felt their security was good enough.
Exactly.
And that’s why I don’t daily-drive GrapheneOS, just like I don’t daily-drive a Ferrari, because I have no need for it and there are more important considerations for a nobody like me.
Yes, and I think that’s very valid of course. Many parts of Graphene are only really useful for people with a specific threat model.
yeah, like i said i’m a layperson when it comes to tech. i kinda thought that degoogling was some sort of faustian deal where i had to buy the hardware to get away from the software. sounds like that’s not the case. i’d love to have a phone i could repair and not give google any more cash.
edit: additional question… is calyx pretty easy to set up on it?
Yeah it’s super-easy. They have easy instructions to follow for all supported devices.
https://calyxos.org/install/
thanks! this is sounding like a workable solution.
I don’t wish to add complication but Calyx paused all updates for 11 months but they are back. This could happen again which would force you to either have an insecure OS or install something else. More details on Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CalyxOS
I’d say they have spent this time being extra careful about making sure it won’t happen again.
The reparability and long life argument is over blown in my eyes. My family has a few iPhones that got updates for 8 years and had no issues the whole time. A one time replacement of the battery in a repair shop is a good investment.
Nevertheless, the sovereignty that comes with /e/IS is unmatched by other vendors. And the promise about fair production lines is also reassuring.