this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2025

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/e/ OS does a little trolling and sends all your Text to Voice data to OpenAI for processing and Speech generation. (community.e.foundation)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Luffy879@lemmy.ml to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

123 comments fedilink hide all child comments

First of all, to anyone downvoting my Comments about /e/ being a piece of shit, because...

they advertise themselves as degoogled, but instead let you connect to Google/Microsoft/etc services
replace all the propriatery not at all Secure Services from Google, with.... Drumroll please.... Propriatery and not at all Secure Services from themselves and actively encourage it.
They are For-profit
and being MORE out of date then even Fairphones stock roms.

... I told you so. Dm your Instance admin, pay them to send the DB entries of your Downvotes on a Thumb drive (or anything else from SSD to 3.5 inchHDD, depending on your preferences), and shove it up your rectum.

But a TL;DR:

/E/ is not Private. They just switch one bad comany to another one.

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[–] OboTheHobo@ttrpg.network 106 points 6 days ago

Ok, the openAI thing is not great. However...

they advertise themselves as degoogled, but instead let you connect to Google/Microsoft/etc services

What the fuck are you talking about? Degoogled doesn't mean you shouldn't be allowed to connect to Google services. It just mean that it doesn't require Google services to function and that the default configuration shouldn't include any Google services. If the end user actively wants to use google/microsoft/etc services then they should be able to. It seems as though you are advocating for an open source operating system to lock itself down from allowing the end user to use certain features, which is against the FOSS ethos. Remember, "free" as in "freedom."

[–] jsomae@lemmy.ml 26 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

They are For-profit

Reminder that FOSS is compatible with commercial licenses.

That is not to say /e/ is FOSS. But given the reality of the capitalist hellscape we live in, we should not shame developers (FOSS or not) for not opting to work for free.

[–] Luffy879@lemmy.ml 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Non profit dosent mean everyone who works there cant earn money.

It just means, that you as Shareholder cant just sit on your ass and collect the revenue from your company.

If you own a non profit, and you work as for example a Dev or the head of PR, you can still have a hefty 30$/hour salary.

And the other way around, having a For profit just tells me that you do so little, that you can't even justify employing yourself at a non profit and giving you an own salary that way, because a non profit has to disclose just how much money you give yourself while underpaying your workers

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

30$/hr

In 2025 america ain't really money for somebody with a skill set to do this type of work in the US at least.

Otherwise agree. But realistically Foss will need to outcompete corpos commercially and that requires normies to make these consumption choice while Foss gains mass market appeal.

Obviously fedi is pro FOSS but we are just a rounding error as of now.

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[–] utopiah@lemmy.ml 38 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

This is a FUD post. Honestly this is just doing a disservice to privacy in general.

Of course /e/OS is not perfect but the title is wrong (/e/OS didn't suddenly start sending data to OpenAI without user permission, they are relying on OpenAI for a service that is optional PLUS they are explicitly saying that they setup a proxy to anonymize content!) but the content is also wrong :

of course they "let" you connect to whatever you want. What they do though by default is block trackers within apps including things like Google analytics. I imagine most people who buy a deGoogle phone from them will NOT want to use Google/Microsoft/etc services but if somehow they have to, e.g. a Google Meet meeting, then it's nice that they can. This is a ridiculous take.
they replace services and their work is open source https://gitlab.e.foundation/e/os/ if something is somewhat missing you can just open an issue and request it. If they do provide server services they do not have to provide the code for it (even if they should IMHO) but here again just request it publicly. The goal is to help them do better, not "scold" them. Still here please share what's actually missing rather than making grand claims.
they are for-profit, so what? They have a foundation that managers /e/OS itself so AFAICT Murena is to sell phones with installed /e/OS so you can skip that entirely and not give them 1 cent. Even funding like NLNet (which IMHO is some of the best as the project gets to decide on milestones, they are just funding FOSS) encourage projects to have sustainable source of income, what's your solution there? That they get bought by Google? Do you personally have the kind of money to make them sustainable for years if not decade?
there is an obsession with getting the very latest updates on the deGoogle community. Yes patching security holes is fundamental to privacy but it's also NOT the only thing that matters. They are doing their best to catch up but if you have a solution, e.g. a better CD/CI system please do contribute.

TL;DR: /e/OS is not perfect but it's damn well better than Google!

Also important clarification, the Murena services (backup, STT highlighted there, etc) are NOT MANDATORY! When you boot you can decide to use them, make an account, etc (yes, like other services, including Google) but you just as well refuse and use your device. There is NO account required. The goal is to help people who are not yet self-hosting everything have an alternative rather than... have nothing then give up and fallback to iOS or Googled Android.

[–] Luffy879@lemmy.ml 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Of course /e/OS is not perfect

Let me stop you here.

Every phone /e/ supports, Lineage or calyx supports too. Lineage and Calyx are both non profit, implement an actually secure Backup system by default, and do not try to sell you a subscription.

So why should I be defending a company that's worse then the Alternative, that's obligated to extract the most possible profit from its costumers, that says it is Private, yet sends your backup and Photos unencrypted to murena servers?

And no, you can't jUsT uSe aNoThEr bAcKuP sErViCe. These require root access by default, so you can't just install Seedvault.

Also, I don't give a fuck if the data to OpenAI is proxied or not. OpenAI is still not Private, and Murena has other, on device, Open source Voice to text options. Yet they, the self proclaimed Private OS, rely on a non private service

[–] utopiah@lemmy.ml 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

let me stop you here.

... So why should I be defending a company that’s worse then the Alternative, that’s obligated to extract the most possible profit from its costumers, that says it is Private, yet sends your backup and Photos unencrypted to murena servers?

You'd have benefited from not stopping there, at least reading the bold parts : nobody has to use Murena servers. You turn on the device, say no, use whatever alternative services you want, that's it. What Murena (not /e/OS) offers is buying a phone with a working deGoogled Android device. There is a market for that. You don't have to buy from them and it's enough. You can criticize it as much as you want, here and elsewhere, and honestly your criticism is welcomed so that they can improve, just don't make things up.

Source : I'm backing up my photos locally with Immich, no Murena account, no Murena services.

Edit: thanks for sharing https://github.com/seedvault-app/seedvault looks interesting.

[–] Luffy879@lemmy.ml 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (8 children)

nobody has to use Murena servers.

Im just saying, that Murena, with their current services, is in no way better than Google. Also, that can change at any time, since the one making the Services and the one making the OS is the same Murena, so theres nothing stopping them to vertically integrate their Services more and more, until it becomes the only real option

just like Google and Apple did it.

Google started as a company that gave extraordinary Services for cheap to people, and only once it got popular, they started selling user data and doing questionable shit as result of them not really caring about Data Security and storing data unencrypted on their Servers.

Murena is a company that is giving extraordinary Services for sometimes Cheaper than the non Privacy friendly option, and once it gets popular, they still will be reserving the right to start selling user data and do Questionable shit as a result of them not caring about Data Security and storing data unencrypted on their Servers.

Yes, they did not sell your data. Yet. They did not release your Data to authorities. Yet. Their Service, being unencrypted, baked deep into the OS (with their Backup) shows just how much they could go that route at any time, and by having a mostly noobie audience, they wont get much shit for it probably

For me, its just like the Mastodon vs. Bluesky thing

Yes, /e/ is currently better than Google, but /e/ can turn as bad as Google any time. Unlike something like Proton or other Backup systems, since they have the option to encrypt your Photos and therefore make them Availible only to the user.

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[–] marcie@lemmy.ml 23 points 5 days ago (17 children)

GrapheneOs continuing to be the only unclowned rom

[–] Luffy879@lemmy.ml 17 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

Linaege and Calyx is OK too, since they actually develope software (Linaege does it from scratch, Calyx develops Seedvault etc). even though they are not as rigid as Graphene, they are still ok for normal ungoogled stuff, and to be honest, most people dont need the security Graphene provides them with.

My problem is with Roms like /E/ OS or Iode, which essentially add nothing of value, but instead Fork Linaege, remove Seedvault and everything what isn't essential, and sell what is essentially a DNS blocker (which you can just use on your VPN slot via apps like DNSnet, or Server side like Adguard or Mullvad DNS) as a new ROM, complete with Subscription Service and (in the case of E OS) even with non encrypted Backup, essentially begging someone to compromise their Servers and steal peoples Photos and Data.

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[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 51 points 6 days ago (27 children)

GrapheneOS is fucking king a for a reason. The main dev was a cunt but he wasn't wrong.

Peoples need to learn to see through PR, good or bad, and focus on specs.

It seems after years of bullshit PR, we can safely say that GrapheneOS thesis stood the test of time.

Google took notice and now fighting us.

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[–] s38b35M5@lemmy.world 56 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Watching from the sidelines as a LOS ROM user, I'm disappointed by the replies from the devs. From mischaracterizing surprise, anger and generally negative feedback as positive praise to completely ignoring the two main asks of the community. For me, there are other red flags, but I'll leave it alone.

Ego seems to be coming into play here, and the repeated references to GrapheneOS seem to reinforce that. Handwaving new and unique criticism as if it is a continuation of an older conflict is pretty poor form.

The basic issue as I see it (as a non-user of their platform) is to market your OS the way they do while also adding this feature without notice or explanation. Their claim that they want to stay relevant and include popular features is a straw man. There are other ways to implement it, and other ways to introduce it to the community. But that's not relevant. Their explanation could be used to justify abandoning their stated objective of anti-big tech in any/all ways. Saying people want big corporate tech features is weak and obviously not in parity with the stated mission of privacy-first.

It's not always the poor choices that sink user trust; sometimes it's a tone deaf response or unexplained motives, or opaque financial incentive structure.

Sometimes it's all of the above. This seems to be one of those cases.

Ty @Luffy879 for sharing.

E: spelling

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[–] MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 5 days ago (5 children)

Why is letting you connect to services bad? Choices are always good.

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[–] CaptPretentious@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Being serious, what is /e/ ?

[–] Blisterexe@lemmy.zip 12 points 5 days ago

Alternative version of android that removes google stuff, basically.

[–] ZeDoTelhado@lemmy.world 30 points 6 days ago (1 children)

send the DB entries of your Downvotes on a Thumb drive (or anything else from SSD to 3.5 inchHDD, depending on your preferences), and shove it up your rectum.

Do not threaten them with a good time

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[–] upstroke4448@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (6 children)

Every year people have to re-find out /e/ calyx and lineage were never focused on privacy and or security.

[–] JamesBoeing737MAX@sopuli.xyz 11 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Well, you can make LOS decently private with intelligent use, but you can forget about security. I use it on my Redmi 4X (originally with android 7, when AVB wasn't even a thing yet), so the security is still better than the original firmware. It's a tool to decent-ify security and usability of old hardware, it isnt a miracle or a hardened os.

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[–] ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Tried to view link, but the say html is enabled and I must use Javascript. Why do sites do that?

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