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My final thread

chrlswltrs

Extreme Android User
Nov 12, 2009
6,724
1,796
Seattle
I have really enjoyed being a part of this forum, but my time with Android has come to an end. This was the first forum I ever joined and I enjoyed being a member as well as a member of the staff for multiple years. I am switching back to iOS on Christmas when I get my new iPhone 5S (already ordered). I am doing this for a few reasons:

1. Simplicity. I don't need all the cool extras that Android does anymore. Everything I need has now been sufficiently copied by Apple that I am satisfied with what the OS can do. I have a lot going on in my life right now including a new career as a Real Estate Agent and I really don't have the time or desire to tinker with a phone OS anymore. I won't even by jailbreaking my iPhone.

2. Apps that work. I use a few apps on my Nexus that just never work right, the same apps function flawlessly on my iPad. It is disappointing that some companies still do not put the same level of effort into making sure Android apps are bug free.

3. Battery life. The iPhone 5S with the Mophie battery case will give me about 24 hours of continuous video streaming over 4G, which means in reality I can go a couple days without charging if needed.

4. NSA. This is a BIG one. When I found out that Google let the NSA actually write code for the Android OS that was pretty much the nail in the coffin that made sure I would never buy another Android phone. I know the NSA spies on everything we do all the time, but to go so far as to let them write code for the OS is a complete backstabbing by Google. In fact I am stopping the use of all Google services other than Gmail and search which I am going to reduce my dependence on. I have downloaded and deleted everything I had stored on Google Drive, I have removed everything from Google+, etc. Google makes their money by collecting information on their customers and selling it to advertisers, which isn't a huge problem until you look at how much our own government steals our information from companies and has zero respect for privacy, the law, or the Constitution.


I will miss my time here and talking with a lot of you. If anyone still wants to chat I will still receive PMs on here through Tapatalk and I will still have my Gmail (my username@gmail)
 
4. NSA. This is a BIG one. When I found out that Google let the NSA actually write code for the Android OS that was pretty much the nail in the coffin that made sure I would never buy another Android phone. I know the NSA spies on everything we do all the time, but to go so far as to let them write code for the OS is a complete backstabbing by Google. In fact I am stopping the use of all Google services other than Gmail and search which I am going to reduce my dependence on. I have downloaded and deleted everything I had stored on Google Drive, I have removed everything from Google+, etc. Google makes their money by collecting information on their customers and selling it to advertisers, which isn't a huge problem until you look at how much our own government steals our information from companies and has zero respect for privacy, the law, or the Constitution.

Do we actually have any proof and sources for this? And how do we know that the NSA didn't write any code for Apple, Microsoft and Blackberry?


Shouldn't be any NSA code, like backdoors, in the open source code for Android that device makers and ROM devs use. Because anything fishy should be immediately obvious. The Google apps themselves are proprietary, like Play and Chrome, and could conceivably contain NSA code. But then so could iOS and Windows Phone, because those are completely proprietary.
 
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Do we actually have any proof and sources for this? And how do we know that the NSA didn't write any code for Apple, Microsoft and Blackberry?


Shouldn't be any NSA code, like backdoors, in the open source code for Android that device makers and ROM devs use. Because anything fishy should be immediately obvious. The Google apps themselves are proprietary, like Play and Chrome, and could conceivably contain NSA code. But then so could iOS and Windows Phone, because those are completely proprietary.

Security-Enhanced Android: NSA Edition - Businessweek

No wonder China is worried about Android

It could be in others, but with how tightly Apple controls everything it is much less likely they would agree to letting anyone else write any part of their code. Here is Apple's statement: Why Apple doesn't need your personal data - CBS News, basically they make money on hardware so they have no need to collect the massive amounts of data that Google depends on to make money.
 
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AFAICT this is about Security Enhanced Linux(SELinux), and how it affects Android(Security Enhanced Android), and not about backdoors and not about the NSA having access to your private information....and to try and keep China out In this case my laptops are running NSA code, they've got SELinux. Which I'm OK with, if it makes me safer from Chinese hackers, that's a good thing IMO. One reason why I stopped using Windows, because Microsoft co-operates with Beijing for backdoor access to their software and spying on users.

China mostly does it's own thing with Android anyway, quite outside of Google's control. And many Chinese device makers have their own flavours and forks of Android, e.g. Meizu's Flyme. We've even had a couple of posts on here about Chinese Android tablets with CPC government censoring in them that were purchased in Shanghai, they couldn't get Facebook and Youtube when in the UK.

It could be in others, but with how tightly Apple controls everything it is much less likely they would agree to letting anyone else write any part of their code. Here is Apple's statement: Why Apple doesn't need your personal data - CBS News, basically they make money on hardware so they have no need to collect the massive amounts of data that Google depends on to make money.

Oh yeh Google collects data OK, I know that. But AFAICT this is not about giving the NSA easy access to it via Security Enhanced Android and SELinux. Bottom line is, seems the NSA is trying to keep you safe from Chinese hackers and other undesirables.
 
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Just because you don't have an Android device doesn't mean you have to be a stranger.

As for the "NSA Code". As was noted in the Businessweek article, the code is open-source and the NSA additions are presumably added to the public part of the code base. If there was something in there for "spying", it would have been put out there already by outsiders that review the code after its release. Look at the next-to-last paragraph, the NSA has previously added their security enhancements to Linux and the changes have been peer-reviewed by a lot of people, with no hint as to any eavesdropping.

Nothing is stopping China from reviewing the source code for Android and drawing their own conclusions.

Sure it's a complacent attitude and I guess it's the start of some of this, but I have nothing to hide. They shouldn't be able to use anything they gather from my communications without a court-order anyway, and that would then allow them to get anything they want based on the court-order.
 
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You'll be missed :(

The P&CA section's going to be completely dead :eek:

Good look with your 5S - my missus is very happy with hers. Have to admit that, whatever people may say, the fingerprint thing is kinda cool.

And even better luck (though I think it's miracles you'll require) avoiding the scrutiny of the NSA .. and Google :D
 
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Absolutely! See you in The Lounge chrlswltrs. :thumb:

Yeah, I may stop by occasionally, but it will be few and far between with everything else going on in my life

You'll be missed :(

The P&CA section's going to be completely dead :eek:

Good look with your 5S - my missus is very happy with hers. Have to admit that, whatever people may say, the fingerprint thing is kinda cool.

And even better luck (though I think it's miracles you'll require) avoiding the scrutiny of the NSA .. and Google :D

If the government didn't already have multiple sets of my prints (military security clearance, concealed pistol license, employment background checks, etc) I would cover up the home button with a piece of tape like I do with web cams on all my computers, front cameras on phones, etc.

I know I can't avoid either, but I don't have to just be complacent to their illegal invasion of my privacy

Whos going to back me up when I get in a heated gun control debate!? You'll be missed here, you had a good strong opinion, and you were never afraid to voice it.

Have a good one!

You're right, you need another voice of reason to back you up sometimes :thumbup:
 
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Oh yeh Google collects data OK, I know that. But AFAICT this is not about giving the NSA easy access to it via Security Enhanced Android and SELinux. Bottom line is, seems the NSA is trying to keep you safe from Chinese hackers and other undesirables.

I feel better about Chinese hackers having my information than the NSA... what does that say about our government???
 
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Awww, sad to see you leave the community. I didn't know that the NSA actually wrote code for Android... Wow, That's awful. But there is a lot of crappy things with the American Government that most of us cannot stand. This isn't the political thread, so no need to start a debate.

But then again, this is America, and we don't have the freedom or privacy that was promised in the Constitution by our Founding Fathers.
 
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So after having the iPhone5S for a few months... I really like it. At this point in my life I like the simplicity of it, and I like the size even though I thought I wouldn't. It really isn't a small phone with the Mophie Juice Pack case, but I can use it all day and still only charge it every other day. I do miss my customized ringtones and notification tones though, and the LED.

I've kept my old android phones around and turned them into motion activated surveillance for my house. I stripped everything off the phones (no maps, gmail, messaging, etc) and all that is on there now is my security camera app and dropbox. Motion activated, uploads automatically to dropbox, and notifies my instantly if there is any movement. A lot cheaper and better than paying a security company to monitor an alarm at my house with no video evidence IMO.
 
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