Deliverer of ideas for a living. Believer in internet autonomy, dignity. I upkeep instances of FOSS platforms like this for the masses. Previously on Twitter under the same handle. I do software things, but also I don’t.
GrapheneOS affords you the ability to have completely isolated and distinct phone profiles, where you can install all your required work apps. They are installed separate from your main profile, kind of like second or third phone. No need for a completely different device.
GrapheneOS instantiates an improved version of this feature that Android already offers. It’s a great way to keep things separate. I do the same. Who wants to stuff their pockets or bags with more phones?
If you are looking for a hardened phone, I would consider trying GrapheneOS for a bit, see if it does what you are looking for. Uses SELinux and a seccomp-bpf policy for app sandboxing, as well as runs a hardened kernel with a hardened memory alloc. Great isolation approach, too, so that you can run apps on a ‘completely different phone,’ so to speak – think of the isolation like a small version of the OS that can keep apps entirely separate. Finally, if desired (and needed for certain apps), you can sandbox all Google services so that they don’t have direct access. It’s is a different approach to, say, microG.
GrapheneOS is all about hardening. Security is solid.
VPN wise, Mullvad wireguard servers are also solid. You can do multihops, which help you obsfucate traffic to degree. They have also been playing around with packet shaping (if you use their app directly).
Sim cards can be swapped out if use a VoIP service like jmp.chat.
Thank you for posting this! I assumed some FF-based browsers, while claiming to remove telemetry, in fact still phoned home to a degree. This is good know!
Also, I was surprised by a few others on the list, like Mullvad, Kagi, and DuckDuckGo, being so straightforward – not that making fewer connections implies better privacy, as even a single connection can transmit any kind of data, but moreso that there some browsers that are designed to operate with less complexity.
Really surprised by Zen, which is a FF derivative claiming to be all about a ‘beautiful’ and ‘simple’ web browsing experience, having a ton of connections.
Last I recall, friendica was the most solid alternative. It is a fairly feature-complete analogue of Facebook and a few other social platforms. Maybe give it a look!