how big is the advantage of the gta02s and gta04s regarding private data?

[thomasg]

On Sun, Jun 23, 2013 at 10:04 PM, robin <spielraum at web.de> wrote:
> it should be reading:
>
> and if you were into facebook it would NOT matter which device you'd be
> using.

This is certainly true.
If the data is not on the phone but at unencrypted at some 3rd party's
machine, there is nothing your device can do to help keep them
private. The reason is simple: they are not private. You might
consider it to be, but as soon as you share them with a party unknown
to you (and in this case a party that tells you: "I'm going to share
all your data!") you have a fundamental misconception.
Consider the this analogue analogy (pun intended): If you send a
letter containing your banking data to someone you don't really know;
are they more likely to stay private if you wrote it with a pencil or
a typewriter?

But to get to the real point: The advantage of using an open device
with free and open software is, that you have much more control of
what happens to your data. You're contacts are less likely to leak to
some 3rd party, your messages are less likely to be read, and you can
encrypt whatever you'd like in whatever way you'd like.
Yes, what you post to F*book, is still available to the, but you have
a better chance to not share anything you'd rather not like to share.
Yes, your phone calls are still made over your cell coverage provider,
thus he knows where and when you call, but it is less likely that
these details leak to someone who has no legislation to get it.

However, there is one massive advantage: using a GTA02/04 you always
have full control over a certain portion of the hardware and it is
much harder for 3rd parties (including legislators) to remotely
activate your microphone, camera, GPS, ..., without you knowing it,
and it is much much harder for an attacker to hide, because there is
nothing pre-installed to make it easy for him.

The privacy and security aspect is only a minor one though. The whole
point is, that YOU would own your device to the fullest extent and YOU
could do with it whatever you wanted without needing to ask someone
and without someone telling you from the beginning you can't.
Privacy and security are parts, but certainly not everything there is
to freedom.