For those unfamiliar, GrapheneOS is a privacy and security enhanced custom ROM endorsed by Snowden. Despite these big names, plenty of people give it backlash
Even @TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml gives it backlash despite being a moderator of Lemmy’s biggest privacy community. A quote here: “grapheneOS trolls are downvoting every single post and comment of mine, and committing vote manipulation on Lemmy. They are using 5-6 accounts.” That was in response to downvotes on a comment posted in the c/WorldNews community, which is entirely unrelated to technology.
One of the reasons is that GrapheneOS can only be installed on Google Pixels due to security compatibility, which makes complete sense considering Android should be most compatible with Google’s own devices. GrapheneOS even lists the exact reasons they chose Pixels, and encourage people to step up and manufacture a different supported device.
One year ago, Louis Rossmann posted this video outlining his reasons for deleting GrapheneOS. Mainly, he had multiple bad experiences with Daniel Micay (the founder and main developer of GrapheneOS) which put his distrust in the GrapheneOS project. Since then, he has stepped down and will no longer be actively contributing to the project.
So, I am here to learn why exactly people still do not like GrapheneOS.
What you say makes sense, until you are in my position. A massive proportion of Linux/FOSS/privacy community hates these “security” shills. There are some interesting opinions on madaidan, Brad Spengler and such people in the community. madaidan’s blog is called “toilet paper” by Linux community users, for example.
The words “disease”, “sewer” and “security clowns” are used for “security” shills as a whole, who either recommend Big Tech methods or shit on Linux just to make themselves the implied authority and gain control on open source security narrative.
I call GrapheneOS “pure snake oil” because it actually looks like one. it is mostly a rebranding of AOSP features and kdrag0n’s project put on top of AOSP. It is a deep rabbit hole. I did a dissertation of what it is over a year ago. https://i.imgur.com/pQHoq84.jpg
Someone who has always lied about everything, all the people he accuses and so on is disgusting. Worse part, Louis Rossmann in his video showed chats of Micay claiming he is “autistic”, when he was asked about his terrible behaviour and response to people who ask questions. He used clinically autistic people as a shield for his social media narratives. If this does not make him terrible, what will? Witch hunting internet users to the point they are physically affected?
“minions” is a word I use because there are instructions directly from Micay for his members and mods to disseminate propaganda favouring GrapheneOS. https://imgur.com/a/fpcsIL2
“witch hunt” is a word I use because this is what they do. Micay orders people on Matrix directly to do this to any critics on internet, so that they change accounts and go silent. Unfortunately, he met a person in me who can go further than him. https://i.imgur.com/nhepoMJ.jpg
“malicious” is all of these intentional antics employed by him. The propaganda dissemination, witch hunting critics, harassing people, threatening people to ban critics else he will unleash his social media army on them, lying about people, all these things are indeed malicious. Infact, he always harps about character assassination and concern trolling, which is purely projecting what he and his minions really do.
Due to the propaganda dissemination and Big Tech fanboyism that exists in his community, to the point that GOS members tell people to go fly to other countries to get a Pixel to get ANY AMOUNT of privacy and security, they are indeed well “trained monkeys”. It is a common phrase and not very offensive.
It is true people do not know about these things, which is why I keep telling people to read my 5 year investigation writeups on FOSS/privacy communities, PrivacyGuides and GrapheneOS.
https://old.reddit.com/r/privatelife/comments/ug9qnc/writeup_criticism_of_rprivacyguides_grapheneos/
https://old.reddit.com/r/privatelife/comments/13teoo9/grapheneos_corporate_foss_loving_witch_hunting/
You will be shocked by the things Micay has claimed about me on Twitter and Reddit. He has openly called me a paid agent sent by Chinese government to destroy privacy communities, and Jonah Aragon (head of PrivacyGuides) even stickied his comment. Hard to believe? I got you. https://web.archive.org/web/20220502064114/https://old.reddit.com/r/PrivacyGuides/comments/uged1y/is_grapheneos_actually_good_or_just_hype/ (Everybody now knows there was no Uyghur genocide, looking at what is happening in Palestine. Tells you about Micay’s pro USA/NATO politics.)