For example, how do I know that the Samsung calendar app is any better than the g calendar app? Is the only way to go full open source (I’d prefer this, yes).
Also, should we stop using things like the default photo gallery? I have a feeling they steal data from that as well.
I know this is more phone related but I don’t have this issue on my pc since I mostly use linux and open source software.
You can know it doesn’t if it literally can’t. Likewise if it can it might. I got thinking about this the other day when, in the grocery store, I was counting cameras waiting in line. They can watch you in particular the entire time you are there. They might. Or they might not be real cameras at all. They only way you could know they aren’t surveilling you is if you know without a shadow of a doubt there are no cameras at all. If they can they might. If they can’t they won’t.
I tend to think about my personal privacy this way. Sandbox what you can. Don’t have what you don’t need. But at the end of the day, your phone is a computer you always carry with you, so you can never really know for sure. Mitigate what risks you can and don’t worry about it past that. Life is too short.
I’m in the US, and unfortunately, there is an escalating data threat with the latest Supreme Court Ruling that will allow uncleared parties (or poorly cleared parties) to access our government personal data. When combined with the broligarchy data, the aggregate of those becomes extremely dangerous to the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of people. Life is short, but we’re in an emergency crisis, in my opinion. Data protection is a civic duty at this point. The carelessness could very well create a caste system here.