I’m looking to acquire or set up a Wi-Fi only tablet that is focused on privacy. I’ve been starting to do some research among the potential OS options and I wanted to ask this community whether it is better to go with LineageOS or /e/ OS for it, or potentially another option. I’ve tried additional software on other devices that at least help make them more private, but I really want to set something up that is truly private using a tablet.
Edit: I’m also considering Pixel Tablet + GrapheneOS
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No experience personally with Lineage or eOS on a tablet, but if you end up with a tablet that doesn’t have official support from either, I can vouch for the LeOS GSI (generic system image). Minimalist and with all pings to Google servers stripped out.
That said, updates can be hit or miss with the GSI. The gold standard is still the Pixel Tablet with GrapheneOS, no fuss with complicated install and update methods.
im an employed security professional, grapheneos is the way
Edit: I’m also considering Pixel Tablet + GrapheneOS
There ya go, that’s the way to do it.
While de-Google’d, /e/ is a fork of LineageOS that is often VERY out of sync from the security updates AOSP offers, and it puts your device at risk of being easily compromised and tracked. It is not a safe bet as a ROM. I would highly recommend against it if you had to choose between the two. Go with LineageOS, as it is closely downstream from AOSP patches.
If you have a Pixel tablet? GrapheneOS over LineageOS.
If not, and those are your options so far: LineageOS.
Noted, thank you for that insight.
I’m going to consider the Pixel Tablet and GrapheneOS as well.
Clearly your question was honest and well intentioned, but without meaning to, you’ve stumbled into what must be one of the most pointless and mean spirited online security debates. That is the online wars between GOS, /e/ and LineageOS supporters - although to be fair, that is mostly hate coming from the GOS camp to everyone else.
ANY of the 3 - GOS, /e/ or LineageOS is LIGHT YEARS ahead of stock Android for privacy. Each have their pros and cons - what’s best for YOU depends on your own personal situation (TARA model).
I’m definitely framing it that way and I was mainly looking to use insight from others in addition to the research I’m doing.
I wasn’t aware that the rivalry could be so nasty between all three.
Thanks for your input.
Funny thing, I have the exact set up you’re looking to build. I’ve got a Samsung Galaxy S5E Wi-Fi Tablet with LineageOS installed, and it works like a charm!
I’ve had the tablet for a couple of years, and it is starting to show its age a bit with the hardware. And I think there’s a lack of codecs in the more recent OS updates that have prevented me from playing higher than 2K quality for videos on YouTube or Stremio, but it gets the job done!
fyi: this community is dominated by graphene enthusiasts so ymmv here.
Yes, but there is a good reason for that.
I see.
the version of privacy expressed here is geared towards well resourced actors like state governments who have inexhaustible armies of experts; which is arguably the highest gold standard when it comes to privacy.
if you understand that you’re hopelessly outmatched by the american or isreali governments no matter what you do, then privacy takes on a more practical meaning. as in, you understand that you’re millions of times more likely to have your privacy violated by actors like advertisers or local police and this where there’s room for debate between graphene and lineage and i get that from de-googleing communities like this one
I’m really happy with /e/OS and Niagara launcher.
Niagara was my fav for long time, love text launchers,
Olauncher & YAM are nice similar open source alternative with no trackers less permissions on fdroid. :)
I do not have a high opinion of /e/OS or Murena. It is LineageOS but “degoogled” which is a meaningless buzzword considering LineageOS already does not contain Google services/apps (you have to install those yourself). Instead it’s connected to its own “Murena cloud” which itself uses OpenAI for a speech to text service. But hey, it’s not google so it must be okay, right…?
https://community.e.foundation/t/voice-to-text-feature-using-open-ai/70509
It might be opt in (or opt out? dunno) but this sort of thing should not be a cloud thing, it should be a local service.
It also comes with at least one proprietary app built into the OS and their app store offers proprietary apps with some sort of “tracker detection” thing. I do not trust any “app store” that purports to tell me which proprietary apps are “good.”
LineageOS comes with no google apps, no cloud apps, no proprietary apps, etc. It’s just a perfectly usable AOSP system. It doesn’t even have an “app store” but you can install F-Droid on it. I think GrapheneOS is the same (it supports “sandboxed Google services” but it doesn’t include them by default)
As far as I know the only options that exist are LineageOS, GrapheneOS, and maybe non-Android Linuxes if you’re brave enough. There used to be DivestOS which although based on LineageOS brought several security, privacy, and freedom improvements, but that project has been discontinued. None of these “degoogled privacy OS” LineageOS reskins impress me.
I saw DivestOS was discontinued and that was disappointing, I had used some of its apps. Thanks for your perspective on their proprietary cloud and programs, I’ll keep that in mind
