this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2026
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    Spy (sh.itjust.works)
    submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Lisk91@sh.itjust.works to c/linuxmemes@lemmy.world
     

    Old but still trendy

    top 50 comments
    sorted by: hot top controversial new old
    [–] TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works 201 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    Other people have already mentioned this, but Google absolutely spies on the whole OS when it makes the OS, either Android or Chrome OS, Google Play Services are spyware and also required for full Android functionality

    [–] Zangoose@lemmy.world 103 points 1 week ago (1 children)
    [–] AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 week ago (8 children)

    Should I pull the trigger on the Pixel 8 listing I've got up on eBay right now? My level of tech savvy is 'I installed Bazzite on my gaming laptop and it's mostly just worked', I think I should be fine with Graphene but...

    (Also, anyone know if Tuta is good? I'm looking for a replacement for Google calendar and Gmail and that seems to fit the bill.)

    [–] 6nk06@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 week ago

    Biased answer but:

    • Tuta is good, free plan to try, 3 euros a month for the cheapest paid plan, they are supposedly adding a "cloud drive" to store some files
    • GrapheneOS is amazing, easy to install, you control all the permissions if you want, and it's the most plain and basic Android out there (they don't make decisions for you out of the box, it's the realest Android)
    [–] knomie@feddit.org 12 points 1 week ago

    Your tech level is more than sufficient. Just follow the install instructions on the official site.

    Tuta is alright. One of many good alternatives. Just try it out in parallel.

    [–] synapse1278@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

    Flashing GrapheneOS is pretty easy. On Linux you may have few complications: you must install Chromium or Chrome in order for the USB flashing to work (feature not available with Firefox). You may have to also manually set some permissions for the device in order for it to be detected in Chromium/Chrome.

    [–] joni24de@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    The Pixel 8 is great with GrapheneOS! You don't need to be very tech savvy to use it.

    Just keep in mind that Tuta does not support PGP or S/MIME.

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    [–] tibi@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

    And Apple aren't that much better. They make a lot of privacy claims, but are still pushing hard for their online services like iCloud, and their hardware is designed to hide what it's doing from the user. Apple is still collecting user data. They might be sharing less with third parties, but they are still collecting it.

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    [–] jim3692@discuss.online 83 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

    Google doesn't spy only the web. There are some pretty common and completely legal devices, that Google takes advantage of to spy in people's everyday life. Those devices are called Android phones.

    [–] comador@lemmy.world 76 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    Only Apple users think Apple isn't spying on them.

    And Apple users are about to realize with the new Apple AI aka Google Gemini that they ARE spying on them.

    [–] MotoAsh@piefed.social 28 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    No they won't. Apple users are either tech illiterate or sycophantic. They won't realize that the "year in review" is actually just a showcase of how much info they have on you.

    [–] James_Ryan@discuss.tchncs.de 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

    Everything is just black and white…

    [–] MotoAsh@piefed.social 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

    Excuse me, tech illiterate and sycophantic are clearly shades of grey.

    [–] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

    Oh is Apple finally releasing different colors again? :p

    "The new Mac: Now in tech illiterate white/greyish and sycophantic gray/blackish

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    [–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

    Used to know an apple fan in college, he almost screamed at me for buying a wired mouse with a good sensor rather than a wireless one with a bad one, because according to Apple, I would benefit more from the latter, and otherwise I'm setting back "wireless mains power tech", which I showed a disinterest in by buying the wired mouse. He also called me a child when I bought a graphics card.

    [–] dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 1 week ago (6 children)

    TIL that as a software engineer I must be tech illiterate as I’m no sycophant. How shocking that I use an Apple phone as it just works for what I want. I’d be in the same boat if I used Android and I choose convenience when choosing a phone, gone are my days of geeking out for a month trying to get my banking app to work.

    One might argue you’re a little dense if you think the world is this black and white.

    [–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

    You're the exception among Apple users.

    I say this with nearly 4 decades in IT. Most Apple users are even more clueless than a typical Windows users, which is saying something.

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    [–] Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 1 week ago

    Everyone who believes their big tech software doesnt spy as much as possible are naive fools

    But its almost impossible to avoid anyway

    So i can understand that a lot of people just dont care

    Myself included, though i do use linux, its not for privacy reasons. I just like linux better thqn windows.

    Work requires a mac, and github by microsoft. What you want me to do?

    [–] blinfabian@feddit.nl 56 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    i like the meme, but here is the real version

    [–] olenkoVD@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 1 week ago

    Don't forget ChromeOS!

    [–] merc@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago

    The mail (a web service), the calendar (a web service), YouTube (web videos), YouTube Music (web music), Google Maps (a web based mapping service)...

    You get the picture.

    Android spies on you when you're doing things locally on the device. But, the rest of these are web-based services.

    [–] janus2@lemmy.zip 55 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    the closest thing Linux has to spying is the strictly opt-in Debian package popularity contest lol

    [–] yetAnotherUser@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

    ...or installing Red Star OS. There are Linux distros with built-in spying, they just aren't very popular.

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    [–] someguy3@lemmy.world 44 points 1 week ago (1 children)

    Also acceptable:

    Linux: You guys have users?

    [–] 14th_cylon@lemmy.zip 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

    linux to apple: you think yours don't?

    [–] ttyybb@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    I've seen a lot of people defend apple. I lowkey thing me talking bad about apple (and provide sources) on a privacy subreddit triggered someone enough to get my reddit account banned. That or badtalking apple is against reddit TOS.

    [–] daggermoon@lemmy.world 40 points 1 week ago (1 children)

    Google spies through its OS too.

    I'd make that plural. Google spies through its OSs too.

    [–] HappySkullsplitter@lemmy.world 37 points 1 week ago (2 children)
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    [–] yuriRO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 1 week ago

    I mean spy only on the web? Android Google is like the most important piece of project in corporate surveillance and don't get me started on A-GPS

    [–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 23 points 1 week ago

    Google with Android: Amateurs!

    [–] johncandy1812@lemmy.ca 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

    Google spies through androidOS

    [–] Aneb@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    Time for our sponsor for today's episode, GrapheneOS. I don't need tell you what it does because y'all on Lemmy anyways. Honestly it was the most simple setup, you plug your phone into the computer you don't need to download the software installer locally, its all distributed on their website and it take 2 clicks of the mouse to get a privacy focused OS.

    If you have a pixel at least

    [–] OldChicoAle@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

    This was really helpful. I know about GrapheneOS, but I didn't know install was this easy

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    [–] JoShmoe@ani.social 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

    Jokes on you! I know that Apple knows that I know they know.

    [–] Walican132@lemmy.today 33 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    Yeah Apple is pretty transparent about it and what they use it for (allegedly) haven’t really seen anything saying Apple is using more than they claim/say.

    Either way Linux is so much better.

    [–] JoShmoe@ani.social 9 points 1 week ago

    Thanks legitimately random user!

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    [–] bryndos@fedia.io 14 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    Linux picks a random user out of the hat to prove it - gets someone using android with play services. erm . . . ignore them . . . that doesn't count.

    [–] ttyybb@lemmy.world 44 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

    That really loops back to Google more than a function of linux.

    [–] TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works 37 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    Just because it uses the Linux kernel doesn't mean it's real Linux. Google took everything that made Linux good - customisation, root access, privacy, freedom - out of Linux to make Android

    [–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 16 points 1 week ago

    A lot of that's still available in AOSP. The devices they actually sell just load a heap of commercial crap on top of that.

    [–] bryndos@fedia.io 6 points 1 week ago

    Akshually, . . . copypaste . . . mostly google removed the GNU Scotsman.

    [–] rtxn@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

    That is the same kind of pedantry as claiming that ketchup is a smoothie because the tomato is a fruit.

    [–] me_myself_and_I@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (18 children)

    Next month, Microsoft forced Mojang to comply with the UK government Online Safety Act. All users must upload Digital ID or some other form of Age Verification to a third party company called Yoti. Or else they won't get to use the chat, friends list, and other social features. All users are affected for now it seems. Yoti claim they will delete the data right away and not store it. This means that even in single player we can't use commands and see achievements and stuff like that. Really annoying. EDIT: Turns out this is on both Java and Bedrock and probably all platforms such as mobile! Not sure how or when it will happen though.

    [–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

    I will literally never verify my real life ID for some online service. I will cut out that service from my life before betraying my own privacy to such a degree. I will throw my computer out the window before ever doing this.

    What the fuck is wrong with people?

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    [–] Enzy@feddit.nu 12 points 1 week ago

    Awh crap

    Installs TempleOS

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