Internet workarounds... - Android General

Hey, guys---question for you...
I used to let my kids use androids but even when I blocked websites in parental controls, they would find ways around them by opening up web pages in apps instead of using a browser app. It was a "genius" workaround. I would have to block the app itself or delete it if I didn't want them accessing blocked websites. Apple doesn't have this problem. You can block all access to websites globally, so even if you try navigating to a blocked site in a non-web browser app, it will say that it has been restricted. It has been years since I used an android device. Is this still the case or has that issue been resolved? That was make or break for me keeping an android device.

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[Q]How to be full anonymous on Android

Is it possible to use Internet while keep annonymous ??
Well as soon as you go on the internet you are going to leave a fingerprint behind. You can minimize this a bit but you can't visit websites and not visit them at the same time. You can only make it less obvious that you visited them.
Some things that can make it harder for you to be tracked:
- Use a costum rom (AOSP probably best) without Google Apps.
- Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) while browsing the web. This way websites only know that a certain "server" visited them, but they do not know who is behind this server. This way it becomes a lot harder to trace the visit back to you.
- Use Firefox Browser, it helps especially compared to Chrome.
- Send DoNotTrack requests (With tools such as Ghostery). Most web browsers now have an option build-in.
- Use an Adblocker on untrusted websites (Pref not on XDA ). Adaway is one of the apps you can use on Android to achieve this.
If you this kind of things on your Android device you will become a lot more anonymous. Ofcourse this is all pretty basic, if you start throwing out your passwords and name in the stuff you post online, ofcourse you no longer be anonymous . The largest danger is in giving your information to random websites/people on the internet. Tools such as e-mail maskers are always useful. Also try to refrain from installing apps without checking their permissions and stuff. If you install "Cute Free Wallpaper App" you might be infesting your device with malware, no matter how much protection you use it still all boils down to common sense.
H-Cim said:
Well as soon as you go on the internet you are going to leave a fingerprint behind. You can minimize this a bit but you can't visit websites and not visit them at the same time. You can only make it less obvious that you visited them.
Some things that can make it harder for you to be tracked:
- Use a costum rom (AOSP probably best) without Google Apps.
- Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) while browsing the web. This way websites only know that a certain "server" visited them, but they do not know who is behind this server. This way it becomes a lot harder to trace the visit back to you.
- Use Firefox Browser, it helps especially compared to Chrome.
- Send DoNotTrack requests (With tools such as Ghostery).
- Use an Adblocker on untrusted websites (Pref not on XDA )
If you this kind of things on your Android device you will become a lot more anonymous. Ofcourse this is all pretty basic, if you start throwing out your passwords and name in the stuff you post online, ofcourse you no longer be anonymous . The largest danger is in giving your information to random websites/people on the internet. Tools such as e-mail maskers are always useful. Also try to refrain from installing apps without checking their permissions and stuff. If you install "Cute Free Wallpaper App" you might be infesting your device with malware, no matter how much protection you use it still all boils down to common sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot bro.. for your gud suggestions
You can install Orbot and Orweb to browse through the Tor network. This is much slower than using a VPN, but you don't have to trust a VPN provider to keep you anonymous.
Thanks you too !:good:
Tor isn't for beginners or total secure but people seems not able to understand it.
It your traffic isn't encrypted this means you sent plain text, passwords etc it goes unencrypted to the nodes and if these notes are compromised it's 'easy' to identify what you sent via deep package inspection. Silkroad was busted by this, an compromised www site with an sql hack and ... Tor is useless, so easy is that. Again it's not designed and never will be for beginners if we talking about 'total security'.
Heavyly hetting detected in the Web!
I was EDV-Technikan, and would really know more about be Nearly-Anonymouse. have a few tips without VPN, WARP,Tor Browser... If your Phone is rooted you can do more so how whats best Magisk,Root, Apps or other things i can USE ??
Thanks for Helping
How far are you ready to go in order to achieve anonymity?
It's kind of possible, but it's a bit cumbersome.
First, you need different browsers for different activities so that you have different fingerprints.
For example, one browser only for personal stuff where you real name appears like emails, tickets, banks etc., one browser only for emails and accounts where your real name doesn't appear, and one browser only for web surfing on websites where you aren't registered and don't need to be.
On all browsers try to avoid as much as you can to have Java script enabled, for banks and tickets you mostly can't but you can for emails (at least some of them so depending on which email you use you may want to change for one that doesn't require Java script to be enabled) and you can for many websites as long as you don't watch videos.
Atlas is a good browser, it isn't open source but it's clean and it enables you to switch between Java script and non Java script easily.
Naked browser is a good clean choice too.
Avoid like plague Chrome, and even Mozilla that isn't anymore what it used to be (unless you build your own version and you remove the nasty stuff).
Then you need different identities depending on which browser you use.
That is, everytime you switch browser you turn the WiFi off, you fire a script that changes your Mac address, your android ID and all the other IDs your phone may have, including phone model, phone manufacturer etc., and then you turn the WiFi back on and switch IP on your VPN if you use one (I personally don't, I don't see the point since I'm not a bad guy and since anyway a government agency could most likely oblige your VPN provider to give you away).
Now as said above you'll need a clean AOSPish ROM, without any Google apps (which is where most people's desire on privacy hiccups, because they can't live without the Google apps' suite).
You'll have to be rooted.
You'll need a firewall like AF+.
You'll need a network log app to check which app connects where, specially for newly installed apps that require internet access.
You'll have to be careful with the apps you install and go as much as possible with open source apps.
If you are into social networking, don't install their apps (unless you know how to patch closed source apps, see below), it's far safer, and battery friendly, to access their sites from a browser.
You'll have to learn how to compile your ROM, your kernel and your apps from source, and clean whatever needs to be cleaned before compilation because even pure AOSP has some unpleasant code like analytics and connections to Google everytime you turn the internet on (even if you don't have any Google apps installed, and even if you haven't opened any browser or internet allowed app yet) and because even open source apps use sometimes stuff you don't want.
If needed, you'll have to learn how to patch closed source apps to remove the analytics, the gms and the Facebook spywares​ if present, and whatever else you may find (Firebase, crashlytics etc.), and to remove the unwanted permissions, services, receivers and providers.
You'll have to learn how to use and read logs because patched apps often crash.
Last but not least, you'll need some common sense and change the way you interact with the internet...
If you do all of the above, you'll have a good level of anonymity.
So it's definitely possible, but one has to work a bit...
Are you willy to work?
I habe just tryed permissions ruler,3 WebBrowser,Network Connector to See what Apps and scrips works in Background of Android. Most is Google Framework nearly Evers secound Sending or looking up for anything...! AS i like some Google Services i will SetUp now next Rom without Google Services .... Would you have some Ideas,Apps,Roms,Markets like 1Market,Blackmart, Network Connector,Anty Spyware ?
Thanks a lot
Fdroid is good for open source apps. a good firewall. find a privacy oriented browser , i.e. yandex , startpage , duckduck go , tor. FairEmail for your email client. very privacy oriented.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3824168

[GENERAL] Get back data privacy on android

Hi there,
I hope this is the right place to post such question, otherwise, please feel free to move to the right place.
I am quite into mobiles, since day 1 (1999 for me). This is also why I bought an HTC G1 ...
Anyway, when installing "Network Connections", I was quite surprised, how many connections, how many apps had, to several servers, even of services I dont use. My weather app calling Facebook, even though I dont have facebook on my mobile et all. "Brave" Browser, no tabs open, however, six connections...
Then the news with the Apps using trackers (PayPal, Outlook etc.). I really like my privacy, but I dont see, that this is respected. I do know, that nothing comes for free in life, and I do know, that it is a trade-off, data against services. And for Google it is okay (Google Maps e.g. couldnt live without it), but I think a few too many, want to have a peace of the cake, in particular, after I have paid for the apps (because, I also know, they need to make a living).
Anway, long story short, what is there I can do to protect myself, learn how it works etc. Pleasese refrain from tellin gme to sell my mobiel, turn off the internet etc
I used xprivacy on my Nexus4 - still a good idea?
I am using Android and iOS.
Thanks a lot in advance
Try MyAndroidTools to disable Google spyware embedded in apps. Components like these:
GcmInstanceIDListenerService GcmMessageListenerService
AppMeasurementService FirebaseInstanceIdService FirebaseMessagingService
AppMeasurementInstallReferrerReceiver AppMeasurementReceiver FirebaseInstanceIdInternalReceiver FirebaseInstanceIdReceiver
FirebaseInitProvider
These are all Google-related tracking/ analytics. Along with any Crashlytics components you see.
Stop using ALL Google apps. Including Chrome. Including bundled spyware. Including Play store. Including Calendar. Including SMS. Remove all of them from your rooted device and install non-Google equivalents. Try Osmand and others for maps and other apps from f-droid to get the functionality you want. Yes, it takes time.
Find app to change hostnames and Mac addresses and clean persistent cookies if you want. Find websites such as https://apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader/ to download some apps you can't get from f-droid.org. Some apps rely on Google Play being installed. In my experience, none of them are worth it. If your app requires them and you can't live without it, probably forget any decent privacy.
If using a Mozilla-based browser, add these to your block list in Adaway:
accounts.firefox.com
blocklist.addons.mozilla.org
blocklist.settings.services.mozilla.com
detectportal.firefox.co
dynamicua.cdn.mozilla.net
fhr.cdn.mozilla.net
firefox.settings.services.mozilla.com
incoming.telemetry.mozilla.org
input.mozilla.org
install.mozilla.org
location.services.mozilla.com
mozorg.cdn.mozilla.net
mz.la
search.services.mozilla.com
shavar.services.mozilla.com
snippets.cdn.mozilla.net
tracking-protection.cdn.mozilla.net
updates.push.services.mozilla.com
versioncheck-bg.addons.mozilla.org
webextensions.settings.services.mozilla.com
...to help stop browser spyware.
Download apps from f-droid. Use a good firewall. Use AdAway. Customise your blocklist in AdAway. Disable all auto update components unless you trust the CIA and NSA to 'take care' of your device.
Etc.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-28/how-cia-made-google
You may wish to consider blocking these Google domains if you are adamant you want no business with Google:
adservice.google.com
adservice.google.com.au
ajax.googleapis.com
apis.google.com
books.google.com
books.google.com.au
clients1.google.com
clients2.google.com
clients3.google.com
chart.googleapis.com
crashlytics.com
cse.google.com
console.firebase.google.com
encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com
firebase.google.com
fonts.googleapis.com
fonts.gstatic.com
ggpht.com
googleanalytics.com
id.google.com.au
imasdk.googleapis.com
lh3.ggpht.com
lh4.ggpht.com
lh5.ggpht.com
lh6.ggpht.com
mail.google.com
maps.googleapis.com
ota.googlezip.net
payments.google.com
safebrowsing-cache.google.com
safebrowsing.google.comsb-ssl.google.com
ssl.gstatic.com
support.google.com
www.googleapis.com
www.googlecommerce.com
You can add more if you are really enthusiastic.
Many are safe to add to your AdAway block list, but some of these will annoy you on some websites or apps that use Google infrastructure, so be warned. You can always temporarily disable AdAway ad-blocking or identify the domain you want to remove from the blocklist by using the Log DNS Requests feature.
Thank you
Thank you @comfortable - I really appreciate you took the time, to give me such a long and detailed reply.
Persepctively a complete avoidance of Google is the long-term goal. At this stage, I am more interested in avoiding smaller fish (like my alarm clock, which unfortunately offers a unique feature: slowly increasing alaram sound, gibes you a relaxed wake-up).
I am using Adhell already, and already diabled background call via AMB shell, however this made apps stop working compeltely (Runtastic e.g.).
Thanks for pointing out the relevant components! Thats quite helpful... I already condiered installing pihole and surfing via OpenVPN so this would filter out quite a bit of such stuff?
So yes- thanks again, I have a new project and will work off the measures you listed!!! Thank you. :good:

Custom WebView build

Hoping someone with development experience can give me help here:
Would it be difficult to make a modified build of AOSP WebView client so that when an app tries to open an internal WebView it forces the link to be opened in an external browser or even not open them at all?
This post on Coderwall reflects it's possible, but it's way above my head.
This is a parental control concern for me. Many apps that aren't web browsers actually give you access to a web browser if you're smart enough. Typical method: go to an apps privacy policy page, click a few links till you get to google.com or twitter.com. From there you can get to anything.
Alternate solution might be to block internet access of the WebView Client system application, but allow the rest individual apps to still access internet. E.g., give an app internet but stop it from accessing internet thru an embedded webview browser.
Any help is much appreciated!

Question Ads/Sponsored Content in Google Feed on Pixel Phone ? Any way to block it ?

Hi there, it's been a long time since i used my last Pixel (it was 2XL),
what i notice right away after using my P7Pro for few days is that Google Feed on this phone is showing a lot of ads/sponsored content,
i used host based adblock along with adguard private DNS on this phone, same setup like my other phone (Aquos R6)
but to my surprise, while it managed to block the ads/sponsored contents on my Aquos, it failed to do so on my Pixel.
Do google actually do same thing with apple on macOS ? setting up certain IP/URL/Connection in OS level, bypassing our DNS/VPN/Host ?
Because i dont remember ever seeing thia much of an ads in my Google Feed. And, as comparison, i dont see the same ads from my Aquos which signed into same google account.
Do you have any idea how to reduce it ? or block it ?
And, no, choosing "Show less" or "Block this ads" by pressing ... button on the Feed doesn't work.
otonieru said:
Hi there, it's been a long time since i used my last Pixel (it was 2XL),
what i notice right away after using my P7Pro for few days is that Google Feed on this phone is showing a lot of ads/sponsored content,
i used host based adblock along with adguard private DNS on this phone, same setup like my other phone (Aquos R6)
but to my surprise, while it managed to block the ads/sponsored contents on my Aquos, it failed to do so on my Pixel.
Do google actually do same thing with apple on macOS ? setting up certain IP/URL/Connection in OS level, bypassing our DNS/VPN/Host ?
Because i dont remember ever seeing thia much of an ads in my Google Feed. And, as comparison, i dont see the same ads from my Aquos which signed into same google account.
Do you have any idea how to reduce it ? or block it ?
And, no, choosing "Show less" or "Block this ads" by pressing ... button on the Feed doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use Google Feeds it's an open door for some pubs
I prefer to use Flym which manages my RSS feeds and I don't have ads.
I also use AdAway and the Magisk Systemless Hosts-Unified module.
Adguard app, no adds unless you missed some filters/updates. Works great on Facebook too.
As others mentioned, you need a way to block/filter traffic on your entire device. There are apps that use a VPN to filter traffic without root, though there is always the root method of editing your hosts file which has been around for a good while which will always also work.
There is also one other option which is to use a DNS server which some companies provide as a paid service, the benefit there is you can choose to put the filter in your modem to have it filter down to all of the devices on your network, though personally I would never go for this option as iot is far too easy to block something you didn't want to, and a hassle to unblock it.
I installed a Play Store App, DNS66, and this seems to block ADs system wide including YouTube Music Ads - now it plays like a regular music player without the garbage ads every other song.
Thank you for all replies,
as mentioned i already using two adblock methods, root based and DNS based, and for other apps, the ads all gone, system widely,
only Google Discover still showing it,
but it SOLVED now, after turning off Ads Personalisation in My Ads setting in Google app, somehow all the ads now gone. Probably there's cache somewhere in my system which prevent the adblock to work 100% on Discover.
otonieru said:
Thank you for all replies,
as mentioned i already using two adblock methods, root based and DNS based, and for other apps, the ads all gone, system widely,
only Google Discover still showing it,
but it SOLVED now, after turning off Ads Personalisation in My Ads setting in Google app, somehow all the ads now gone. Probably there's cache somewhere in my system which prevent the adblock to work 100% on Discover.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This worked perfectly for me on both my Pixel phones. Thank you so much!

Blocking ad's on Facebook/IG

Is there any apps out there that can do this?
So sick of all the ads on the apps
umx said:
Is there any apps out there that can do this?
So sick of all the ads on the apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately no. They appear to either be served server side, or the apps use the "home" servers as proxies for ads. I'm not sure which. Either way there doesn't seem to be a way to block the ads, even by using a third party client (which Facebook does not support and often intentionally breaks).
V0latyle said:
Unfortunately no. They appear to either be served server side, or the apps use the "home" servers as proxies for ads. I'm not sure which. Either way there doesn't seem to be a way to block the ads, even by using a third party client (which Facebook does not support and often intentionally breaks).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I miss the days where roms would just block all that stuff. well thanks for reply
Yeah, I think they changed things in response to ad blocking. That's how they make a lot of their money - other than selling your data and invading your privacy, they target you with ads. It's a revenue stream for them so it's unsurprising they'd want to protect it.
Ad blockers don't work in this regard because they only block known ad domains. This works well enough for web pages and apps that display ads from those domains, but it doesn't work when the app uses its home servers as a proxy.
Frost.apk stopped working 2 weeks ago !!! It's been unsupported for years, but was in service until now ! (facebook server must have been updated so this 3rd party app broken)
Search on XDA and all 3rd party FB app are dead !?!? (metal, LC, vanced, etc)
I found 1 post from a guy stating that re-vanced manager can patch the original facebooklite.apk, but it didn't work.
So far Opera.apk with oem adblock seem to do the trick, but not very nice to use .
Note : even ad-away can't block facebooklite ads. Very very annoying.
I'm use to see ONLY friends post and group post. That's it that's all, nothing more. No tiktok ****, or fake life hack, or robot vacuum that I dont need.
umx said:
Is there any apps out there that can do this?
So sick of all the ads on the apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the best bet would be to try Revanced. They usually are used to patch to remove ads in YouTube, however they work in so many other apps. I use this app for Twitter to remove ads, and it works fine. I recommend giving Revanced a try. They are very likely to work for Instagram and Facebook.

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