Plan to Opt Out Use Bitcoin Privately – Bitcoin Magazine
This is an opinion editorial by Anthony Feliciano, a Bitcoin organizer and consultant.
Now for part two of my series on how our smartphones are spying on us. You can find part one here.
In this section I will talk about:
- They google your mobile operating system.
- Get around SIM, eSIM and IMEI while still using your phone
- Bitcoin and Lightning Network apps that can be used on a de-Googled phone.
- Steps to build your opt-out plan.
CalyxOS and GrapheneOS
GrapheneOS offers a sandbox Google Play:
“GrapheneOS has a compatibility layer that provides the ability to install and use the official releases of Google Play in the standard app sandbox. Google Play receives absolutely no special access or privileges on GrapheneOS as opposed to bypassing the app sandbox and receiving a huge amount of very privileged access. Instead, the compatibility layer teaches it how to work within the entire app sandbox. It’s also not used as a backend for the OS services as it would be elsewhere since GrapheneOS doesn’t use Google Play even when installed.”
CalyxOS also offers an alternative in practice with their Aurora Store. The premise behind the Aurora Store is that the Google Play service has been replaced with microg:
“[It] replaces some features of Google Play services while maintaining much more anonymity and privacy.”
This allows you to download the apps you know and already use every day.
I’m a current user of GrapheneOS and have been for a few years now – this is my opt-out plan when I’ve had enough of Big Tech and draconian government overreach. I’ve tested out many features in GrapheneOS and tools I can and can’t use. In my following article, I will share what you can do as well.
SIM, eSIM and IMEI
Every time you buy a new phone from a provider, you comply with KYC (know your customer) protocols and hand over your information to the mobile service provider. In exchange, you get a new smartphone with a SIM card (or on some newer phones an eSIM), and assigned an IMEI number that gives access to the provider’s mobile phone network. This information can be part of a subpoena to a provider for the records, along with all your data, text, web history, etc., too. So what can you do? You will still communicate with friends, family, have internet access and be connected to the rest of the world.
You can still walk into Best Buy today and buy unlocked phones for cash. Buy the cell phone directly and it won’t be tied to a carrier like Verizon, ATT or T-Mobile. No personal information is given out and you can take your phone to the provider you need access to by purchasing a SIM or eSIM card.
*Bitcoiner pro tip: you can buy an eSIM and pay via BTC or Lightning.
Bonus Bitcoiner pro tip: before you buy, make sure that when you visit a site, you use a VPN and or Dare to further reduce your online footprint. If you are going to buy via BTC, make sure you use post-CoinJoin BTC via Join the market. For Lightning, make sure the funds you use to open channels from the base layer BTC are from a post CoinJoin to make Lightning payments. An example of a site that offers eSIMs for BTC is Silent.Link.
This is the extreme step in my opt-out plan. When you buy a SIM card, the choice is yours. When you buy a SIM card in cash, the phone’s IMEI number will be provided as part of the activation to ensure it is not blacklisted (stolen). My opt-out phone has never been activated via SIM and my phone is an older model so there is no eSIM option. I use Wi-Fi hotspots to access the internet along with a VPN and Tor. There is an advanced technique called IMEI spoofing — I haven’t tried this method, but the goal is to get around IMEIs that have been blacklisted from accessing network providers. Changing the SIM doesn’t help either, because the IMEI is still blacklisted.
*Note – When using Wi-Fi, very little information about the device is recorded, namely the MAC address, device model, browser used and OS – your SIM and IMEI number are not recorded. However, if your phone pings a cell tower, information is recorded and records can be easily obtained by tracking down the IMEI number.
Bitcoin and the de-Google smartphone
Now for the Bitcoiners out there who are finally tired of all the spying and tracking, let’s add some Bitcoin and Lightning Networks apps to really make your phone optimal for your opt-out plan.
What follows is a list of Bitcoin and Lightning Network apps posted by developers and companies that release them as Android Package Kits (APKs). APKs are crucial when using de-Googled phones because the developers behind them allow them to be installed on your phone without the need for the Google Play service and all the tracking behind it. As Samourai found out, having your app on the Google Play Store means you have to comply with their request to remove security features. Samourai did the next best thing – direct download via APK.
Below are the Bitcoin and Lightning Network apps I use and where I can get their APKs, but there are probably more.
- Zeus: Right on their main page is the APK download. A perfect app to use to connect your node.
- Breez: From their Github page: “Breez is a Lightning Network mobile client and hub. It provides a platform for easy, instant bitcoin payments.”
- Electrum: Download APK for Android. **Note: connect Electrum to your node network’s .onion address, do not use automatic servers when connecting**
- Tor: Download APK. This is the Tor browser used to connect to the internet.
- Samourai Wallet: Download APK. Connect your Samourai Dojo or use it for Whirlpool.
- BlueWallet: BlueWallet is a user-friendly wallet for both Bitcoin and Lightning.
- SBW: A simple and easy Bitcoin and Lightning app
- ProtonVPN: This is the VPN service I use – they have a free client with limited land connectivity options, but also offer payment tiers. Find a good quality VPN service that offers their app via apk.
- Telegram: You can buy a SIM/eSIM with bitcoin to get a phone number that can be used as a one-time verification via SMS. (You will probably want to create a new Telegram account, as you may have used your own personal number to verify your account)
- Element: A chat app used by many. Some have heard of Matrix, element is the app you can download on your phone.
Anyone using APKs should only use those found on a project’s main website or Github page. It is highly recommended to avoid sites that offer APKs for an app you can’t find – I don’t trust them, they are rebuilt by the sites and who knows if you will get the real app or one loaded with remote access to information you go in there. So if you can’t find your project’s APK easily on their site, contact them directly and ask.
Steps to build your opt-out plan:
- Choose a de-Googled OS.
- Load Bitcoin and Lightning apps at home.
- Add security apps like a VPN and Tor browser.
- Leave your home, take your spare phone with you.
- Find out what works/doesn’t work for you.
- What apps can you “can’t live without?”
- Ask yourself, “What security holes did I miss?”
- Gain the confidence to be able to use Bitcoin privately.
I hope you found this article useful. To me, this is just another step as you climb down the ladder of the Bitcoin rabbit hole. Using technology does not mean that we have to give up freedoms for the simple and practical options. That means we can develop an opt-in plan and still use Bitcoin. If you enjoyed this, read my other two articles, “Is This Mobile Banking – Bitcoin on the Go” – where I make my Lightning node mobile and take it on a road trip. Then read “How to Make Lightning Network Node Mobile” – it’s the technical guide on how to make the node mobile. If you can combine all three topics, you’ll be well on your way to truly opting out.
I have included three images to depict the end goal.
A Google Pixel that was flashed with GrapheneOS. No SIM card – to show that I have no sim and IMEI was never recorded
All the Bitcoin and LN apps I use and downloaded their APKs so I can use Bitcoin privately.
I was called a “boomer” for taking pictures of my GrapheneOS instead of taking screenshots, but this gives a “real deal” feel and look.
This is a guest post by Anthony Feliciano. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
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