linuxmemes

xda probably has that

I mean, as long as they don't have evidence, the cops can think what they want, right?

I could be a serial killer. I am not, but... I could be!

Thanks!
Turns out that OPs heading is a little bit exaggerated, as nobody is confiscating anything.

Those articles don't really support the claim? At all?

https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-organized-crime-preferred-phone-3573578/ is unsourced but, taking at face value, seems like what one would expect. People aren't getting stopped at checkpoints and forced to divulge what OS their phone is running and being taken to a black site if they run GrapheneOS. But someone holding up a pixel in a sea of cheap motorolas DOES raise some eyebrows. Same as someone with a ridiculously expensive rolex walking around The Hood and so forth. And, presumably, people who have been arrested for other reasons raise even more eyebrows if their phone isn't running a stock OS which...

Look, with a just police force (ha!), that actually is a very reasonable stance. Back in the day it was having a Blackberry. For a decade or so it was having two phones until people learned to not do anything personal on a work phone and that became kinda normal. There are activities that are generally associated with "weirdos" and "criminals" and I think even the GraphenOS devs would acknowledge their userbase fall firmly into the former. If you see someone with a Blackberry hanging out leaning against a 7-11? You maybe hang out across the street for an hour and keep an eye on them. Arrest someone and they have three burner phones in their pants pockets? Maybe you look a bit deeper.

That is actual investigative work. Of course, the problem is that it instead becomes "That gameboy looks like a drug dealer's phone. We are going to stop and frisk you and maybe sexually assault you in the back of the cruiser if we are bored".

I'm keyed in on a lot of "high level" protest discussion as well as what investigative journalists need to do for actual safety. And one of the biggest topics that regularly comes up is the idea of "the burner". In theory, if you are crossing a questionable border or think you might be stopped, you bring a completely blank burner. If they hack into it, you are safe, right?

Wrong. Because you are now an anomaly. NOBODY has no social media and NOBODY has no documents on their laptop. So what are you hiding? Let's beat it out of you.

Which is why general best practices are often considered to have a real device that you actually use everyday and take through those checkpoints and on the riskier protests. But you make damned sure there is nothing incriminating or sensitive on there. Optimally through having your "burner" be the one you do said activities on, but also through just removing it well before you get on the plane or get in the car.

And a lot of that applies to device choice too. That cool ass Linux Phone might seem like a great idea but now you stand out from the crowd quite a bit. Same with taking your top of the line iphone to Korea where Samsungs grow on trees and so forth.

Barbaric

Kinda how in some countries using any circumvention tools are a means of arrest and suspicious behavior

It's not about saving ten seconds of typing. It's about supporting OP's claim with credible sources. And I have to stress credible because mainstream journalism has a tendency to turn unverified or downright false claims into a woozle.

I do know, but I also refuse to do OPs work for him.

Would be minimal effort to post a link together with a click-baity (and wrong - nobody is confiscating anything) heading.

Are the fair phones working on cellular bands in the U.S.? I was hoping at this point someone just launches a small handheld gaming device I can install a Linux distro on that I can put a sim card in/esim but I haven't seen any hit the market. I figure maybe even just have a flip phone and forward the number to VoIP on the handheld.

The Steam deck is to big to carry, and isn't a mobile device in my opinion because it can't work soon as you walk out your front door, it is just a cordless device in my opinion. The GPD 4 is a bit big as well, and still isnt mobile.

If someone launches a $500-$800 handheld that maybe flips like a 3DS size and is mobile I'm sold lol (Steam deck Mobile Mini)

Until Fairphone can support GrapheneOS, Pixels are still the best option.