100% worth it even without a custom OS.

I have been using my rooted S23 since it came out. Rooting it made it possible to edit the hosts file (to block malicious ads and domains), run a firewall (to block internet connectivity for certain system apps that I will not remove in order to retain certain functions) and use a VPN, all at the same time.

More specifically, I rooted my S23 following this guide: https://topjohnwu.github.io/Magisk/install.html

I created a custom hosts file using AdAway: https://github.com/AdAway/AdAway

I block internet connectivity for certain apps whose removal would break certain functionality with AFWall+ https://github.com/ukanth/afwall

These are the apps that I block: https://pastebin.com/SViEKXXd

I only unblock Google Play once every month to update system apps. The rest of my apps I install with Obtainium: https://github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium and I manage them with App Manager, with which I also disable internal trackers, dangerous operations and permissions: https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager

The above App Manager also has integrated UAD: https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation/

Sorry for all the unsolicited advice. Finally, rooting your device/unlocking the boatloader introduces the technical risk of anybody with the skills being able to manipulate your device if they physically get their hands on it. Which is just fear mongering and doesn’t say much, since you hopefully wouldn’t trust your device even if the bootloader is locked if it has been in an unauthorized person’s hands.

EDIT: unlocking the bootloader on recent Samsung devices pops a physical fuse inside the device. Even though this doesn’t affect any functionality and you can relock the bootloader if you ever wanted to go back to stock Samsung One Ui, this makes it impossible to hide the fact that the device’s bootloader once was unlocked. What repercussions this entails - if any - you will have to decide for yourself.

EDIT2: am I remembering correctly that some Knox functions stop working after popping the fuse? Like secure folder, payments or whatever? This doesn’t affect me, but for OP’s sake.

Good luck! 🫡

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3MQQDYijqY

Dead serious question: I have only ever worked in the public sector (state level and local municipality) but often see or hear about these seemingly idiotic “interview questions” on television (and obviously memes).

Is this:

1. just a meme
2. just a joke
3. an actual phenomenon in the private sector

If 3, what on earth is its purpose and what could the interviewer possibly find out about the applicant by asking this?

I’m calm.

You first👏

https://mullvad.net/en/help/dns-over-https-and-dns-over-tls

https://adaway.org/

Great summary! Thanks for this! If I were to make the switch to GOS - which I am considering, Samsung user ATM, I’d never travel abroad - especially to and from the US - with my daily GOS driver. I’d travel with a backup phone that contains nothing. A new SIM card and some random chat app for communication with my loved ones. This is for plausible deniability (if I indeed were involved in anti government activism etc) and to avoid all the fuss. Not unlocking my phone gets me into trouble. Wiping my phone gets me into trouble. In that case, I just leave my daily driver at home.

Weird. I used to do video games and I used to run around in the forest building tree houses or, at the rare occasion, snatch a few bag of potato chips from our local potato chips factory. The Legend of Zelda, tree houses and potato chips. What a great life. This only changed when I was finally admitted to a musical school at the age of 15. 🎹 Today, at the age of 37, I can only game for an hour before my back starts aching. That’s when I go outside and touch grass for a couple of hours.

I would recommend formulating your threat model before doing anything else. There is a lot of materials on the topic on the world wide web, but for starters, ask yourself and answer the question, what information about yourself would you like to keep secret and why.

Again, before anything else, subscribe to an email alias service - maybe there are free ones out there too, I don’t know. This way, you don’t have to share your real email address and you can turn off or even delete that attack vector at anytime.*

Finally, regarding Bandcamp, I have never uses it myself so my understanding of your situation is poor to say the least, but are not able to simply save the links in a text file? Again, I’m not trying to play down the situation, I just don’t understand it.

*This is basically what I do with almost all my services that need registration: I give them an email alias, a randomly generated cyberpunk name and create a 30 characters long password with a password manager. The only services where this doesn’t anonymize you are those that require your payment information, which is often tied to your real identity. Had I been living in the US, I would have used those anonymous prepaid debit cards that work like email aliases, but for your debit or credit cards.

Sweet! My closed headphones isolate even the sound of the doorbell, so people kind of need to text me if they plan to visit while I’m gaming xD

Which model/maker of the 3080 do you have? I have the Asus TUF Gaming OC version and while it sounds like an inspired fan, it’s not quite a jet engine… But then again, I only game at 1080p (but with ultra settings) because with my 24 inch monitor I kind of have a good pixel density anyway ^^

Right, then I’ll just stay on my current build, being careful not to flash an OS update 😈

But in all seriousness, couldn’t one manage without OS updates - relying on only proper cyber hygiene and opsec - until a more viable solution comes up? 🤔