My Testimony
by Victoria
As a former Apple user for many years, I found myself entangled in the invisible workings of the iOS ecosystem and completely without power or control of my devices and data.
I found myself in a seemingly cyclical battle to defend my private data… I would intentionally switch off iCloud only to have it automatically turned back on again during updates without my consent. Apps wouldn’t work without updating the operating system, so opting out of software updates always came to an end. When I would follow up the update to turn iCloud off again, if I missed a toggle, files would be removed from my device and stored solely in iCloud. Photos taken on an Apple device are in a format not recognized outside of the Apple ecosystem and photo and music source files are hidden and difficult to find.
While later learning that data collection was a key to the building of an all-encompassing control grid, I also learned that alternatives existed. Being averse to spending a lot of time with figuring out technology, I needed a plug-and-play device.
My first privacy device, which I am still using, was a Ghost Phone. The price was reasonable and apps were curated, loaded and ready to go.
The key to bringing a new phone online is getting phone, messaging, and email running. I stuck with my existing provider – Verizon. Not ideal, but easier to not change too many factors at once. For email, however, loading google mail on this clean new phone was not an option, so prior to getting my Ghost Phone, I set up a new email service so it could be connected as soon as the phone arrived.
With these key items working, I felt free to explore other functions over time. There was immediate relief that I could add and remove apps and find things easily. The daily frustration of feeling trapped and manipulated by my iPhone was gone.
Learning the new GrapheneOS interface took a little attention, but the settings and operation were intuitive, so that was just a matter of getting familiar. From my experience, it was a little challenging syncing across devices as it is a manual process since data and apps are not automatically rounded up (collected) as they had been in Apple. Another area that has taken some adjustment is mapping apps. Magic Earth is the one I currently use and I really like the interface. It doesn’t seem to have as large of a database of business names as the tracking map apps, so it is helpful when setting out somewhere to have specific addresses on hand.
The upsides of the transition to a Ghost Phone are felt daily! With a single swipe, I can turn off location services, microphone and camera access, and wifi. I breathe a sigh of relief every day that I can use the phone with confidence it is not tracking and targeting me. It is so simple to be able to add and remove any application at will – no warnings that other functions will stop working or moreover that I am not allowed to remove something. There are two main app libraries – one with standard apps (Aurora) and the other with open source apps (F-Droid). There are open source apps for all the standard functions. For example, AntennaPod is my favorite podcast app out there.
Overall, I have come to use less apps. Wanting to keep the phone clean and feel confidence in it, my default response to apps is ‘no thanks’. They really have to earn a place on the phone.
And as a backup, any apps or functions needed can typically be accessed via the web browser. When I do decide to load a standard app from the Aurora store, most load and can be used with no sign-ins. When sign-ins are needed, it is immediately clear which apps are tracking and collecting data.
Instead of arbitrarily installing apps, I make an intentional decision by asking myself: “What am I willing to give for the ‘convenience’ of this app?” Sharing my data is not a price I am willing to pay, therefore I am deliberate about making the choice to find alternative ways to operate or I will choose to give some things up.
Using privacy-oriented devices feels to me like a ‘canary in a coal mine’. They reveal where things are tightening and where I need to adjust and be vigilant.
Beyond the Ghost Phone, I have also now added a Linux-based Ghost Laptop. The computer itself has been a breeze. The main challenge with Linux is related to being a former Macbook user. As such, hardware devices such as a scanner and label maker haven’t worked with Linux since they were designed specifically for MacOS. My workaround for the time being is to clean off the Mac, keep it offline, and keep it connected to those two hardware devices so I can still use them.
My Ghost Laptop connected easily to my Brother multi-function printer.
While the quality of MARK37’s devices matter to me, what means the most is their investigation into the ownership and funding of apps they load and recommend. It is wonderful starting off with a device on which everything has been curated based on long-term integrity. By far, the best part of using a Ghost phone (and Ghost Laptop) is the peace of mind both in current use of it and knowing that by taking this step I am more fit to take other privacy steps as needed.
Using an iPhone or Google phone is unthinkable to me anymore!