I’ve received a xiaomi phone as a present, a 2022 redmi 10c 220333QNY, but I’ve read in several sources that this is a brand that systematically eavesdrops everything the user does. There’s also the fear they pass this information to the CCP, which, if you are a Taiwanese, Tibetan, Uighur or Hongkong democracy activist or a foreigner promoting multiparty democracy in China might be used to spy on you and incarcerate you.

Other brands, western if you want to call them that, might do the same, I don’t know. That’s why I ask these questions:

  • Are all phone brands the same, meaning they all eavesdrop on me and no matter what brand I use some personal information will end up in their servers?

  • If all brands are equally bad, what can a quite ignorant end user like me do to minimize the information transmitted to the manufacturer? I cannot even root this device and last time I tried getting rid of another phone’s bloatware I bricked the device.

  • If some brands are better privacy wise, which ones?

  • Am I protecting my privacy if I don’t use any default application and disregard any ad to use products from google and use exclusively f-droid?

I don’t mind voiding the warranty and I wouldn’t mind installing a FOSS OS on this redmi model, as I won’t bank or pay taxes using this device, but I don’t find anything that works. Suggestions welcomed.

  • @[email protected]
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    fedilink
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    120 hours ago

    I’m saving your thread because I’ve been curious about this as well. For reference, are you using this phone in the US?