So my roommate has informed me that Android and Motorola donate to Republicans more than Democrats whereas Apple does not, claiming this as a reason that the iPhone is better than an Android phone. While I could find statistics confirming the fact about Motorola, I don’t even know what they were referring to when they mentioned Android and I tried looking for “Android” and “Android Foundation” and came up with nothing. If they’re referring to the fact that Android, while it’s an open sourced project, is maintained by Google, I’m already aware of that and would like to de-google my phone as much as possible (note: my phone is a Motorola Moto G Power (2022)). I however couldn’t find any stats to support the Apple claim and my roommate has yet to provide me with any sources.
In any case, for my next phone, I’d like to move to a more privacy-focused phone. I’ve heard about the Fairphone, but re this comment, I’m slightly dissuaded from getting one when it comes to the US. I got a Motorola phone in following the advice of this post regarding the safety of the hardware used, but I might want to switch off of the phone when it comes time to upgrade to a new one down the line.
I’m not sure what to go with, so feel free to give me tips on that. Also I’ve wanted to install an alternative OS on my phone but all the ones I’ve seen aren’t compatible with my phone at the moment.
So my roommate has informed me that Android and Motorola donate to Republicans more than Democrats whereas Apple does not, claiming this as a reason that the iPhone is better than an Android phone.
So I’m not sure from where your roommate is getting their information, but according to Open Secrets, Alphabet, Inc. (parent company of Google) donated $27M to Democrats during the 2020 cycle, compared to $1.4M to Republicans. The 2022 cycle is shaping up to be the same. I haven’t been able to find much information on Motorola Mobility or its parent company Lenovo.
wow!
I am very satisfied with my Fairphone 3. I still get monthly security updates. I can easily unlock the bootloader and install any alternative ROM I desire. I can repair any broken part without having to unglue something. But it also seems to be the most robust phone I have used in years. There’s a reason a used Fairphone is as expensive as a new one.
If you really want to go all-in on privacy a Pinephone or Librem 5 would be options but they have their own bag of problems. They are better suited for tinkering.
And regarding the comment on firmware updates of the parts themselves, that is a general computing problem that seems to be the worst with single board computers like smartphones. The solution would be parts with support for open firmware but they are almost impossible to find. I think Fairphone is going a good middle ground. I don’t expect there to be any phone where this is better.
Unfortunately the Fairphone isn’t available for sale in a lot of countries yet.
Buy a used phone off eBay, then you aren’t supporting any manufacturer, and you can get whatever phone you want.
If you’re paying for any software on your phone (e.g., games or productivity apps) you’re still likely giving the manufacturer money.
If you use any apps on your phone (e.g., the web browser or email) they can still collect analytics on you and sell that data.
If you pay for subscriptions through any of those same apps, again more money going to them.
If you buy too old of phones you’ll be left without critical updates, either very soon or right away, that protect your privacy and personal/financial data.
These corporations still win and you still lose.
Unlocked bootloader and a custom ROM like LineageOS. I’ve never even seen an advertisement on my phone, much less pay to use software.
Then you can’t pick from any manufacturer. You have to get a phone that can only run android and can be rooted. That vastly narrows down your choices.
deleted by creator
“The Good Place” TV show also made this a major plot point. Essentially the argument boils down to that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism.
Ah yes, I’m familiar with the scene. It’s a great scene and a great show.
In fact, I’d say donating at all to one or the other party (bribing) overall is negative.
Agreed, 100%.
I didn’t know this, I’m not from US. Why companies donate money to politics parties?
Companies tend to donate to political candidates so that those candidates, upon being elected, propose and vote in legislation that benefits those companies or vote out legislation that doesn’t (e.g. oil companies and climate change policies)
Edit: a detail that was implied but should be noted
Why it’s allowed by the gov?
See Citizens United v FEC. Basically, it was ruled that corporate lobbying counts as free speech under the 1st Amendment.
Citizens United v FEC thanks, now I know something I didn’t know before
e-waste is unethical, try keeping your phone if you can. keep an eye out for LineageOS and see if they end up making a port for your device. if your plan is to de-google your life, stock android can also do that just fine for you. iirc, there are no google services on stock android.
i stand by my comments about fairphone. there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. if you are dead-set on a new device, look into getting a used/refurbished pixel phone and installing GrapheneOS. you won’t find a more private/secure phone mobile system, it’s vouched for by Edward fuckin Snowden. try get one of the newer models (6 or 7 series) because you’ll get longer software support life.
the fairphone still isn’t a bad option if you want the hardware to be as ethical as you can realistically manage, fairphone uses several fairtrade gold sourced parts, has open schematics and is almost fully repairable. just bear in mind that it is not designed to last on the software side and fairphone’s priority is straying towards profit; it’s the ‘lesser of two evils’ in my mind, i guess.
