I have been trying to de-google and de-meta my life, but although i haven’t had facebook for a year and a half, i need it for work. Also i do miss marketplace, and some niche groups.
i have been thinking to setup a used android phone, that runs a new google account, that is not related to my (still at use google account). (as hard as i try, some profiles can’t be unlinked to google once you have linked them).
Anyway - my concern is, that i’d still be trackable, even if i leave it at home and only use it when i need to use it. Won’t meta eventually be able to link my identity to my nework, IP, location etc?
What would be the best way to go around this?
And what to do with secutiry verifications where they as for your phonenumber or to confirm, your ID with an SMS?
If you are leaving it at home, consider a WiFi-only tablet to eliminate any chance of data leaking through the cell modem. Or perhaps an Android emulator on a laptop, but that does come with its quirks. Better yet, also set up a router with router-level VPN at home just for your Facebook-connected devices. Get a cheap prepaid phone for the SMS activation. Don’t boot anything up until you’re ready and pay with cash or a prepaid gift card at a store you don’t frequent or something like Craigslist if possible.
Normally, there’s a chance of Google/Facebook asking for SMS confirmation again down the road, maybe long after your burner phone plan has expired. But you should be able to prevent this by adding a FIDO/U2F security key as your 2FA method. No idea if this can be set up on the mobile app, but if not, bring an unimportant laptop with a Linux live USB too.
Since you’ve already used Facebook in the past, and considering your use case and the nature of Facebook accounts, they most likely have your home location readily on file. Assuming that your main objective is to keep it from correlating your named accounts to pseudo/anonymous accounts and devices, first step would be to isolate it from your real IP address and browser fingerprint.
Now take everything to a library/cafe/somewhere you can access the internet anonymously. Leave your regular devices behind or at least have them in airplane mode and disconnected from the public WiFi. Set everything up, add your security key for 2FA, install a VPN client if Google/Facebook will allow it. Power everything down before leaving. Only power up the Facebook device once you are back home, ideally connected to a dedicated router with router-level VPN.
I don’t really know how it all works, but sometimes I do think about all the times I’ve logged into accounts with my real name without a VPN. And wonder how many of those companies phone home to Meta with my real IP, letting them establish connections with my pseudonymous accounts I’ve also logged in to without a VPN.
It’s a game rigged in their favor and the slightest mistake can blow your cover. Think carefully if Facebook is your only choice or if you can get by with an alternative. If you must use it, I would agree that a dedicated device, even if imperfect, is still one of the best measures for your privacy.
Is there some feature you need that is sprcific to mobile devices?
No not really. I just thought its safer
Using a PC is going to be safer actually because it’s easier to block most of the telemetry. Bonus points for Linux.
There are apps like Tinfoil for Facebook.
You would have to get a burner phone to enable this.
I was planning to use a used phone for this but i was planning on connecting it to my wifi and using it just for this.
Would you say that the phone should be replaced regularly?
Huh? Are you asking if the phone should be replaced regularly?
What I meant specifically was the phone verification. You’ll need to get an actual burner cell phone for that. Get a tracphone or other similar prepaid plan, something you can buy in cash. Keep that phone powered off and in a faraday bag. Only take it out of the bag in a location other than your home or workplace, and only for the purposes of phone verification. Have the social media phone be a smart phone that you only use via wifi connected through a VPN.
There’s still the risk of GPS coordinates leaking out of the social media phone, and that leading Google to be able to correlate it with the person’s main phone. Even without GPS there’s the position based on nearby wifi networks etc. So you’d have to be sure all location services were disabled. Still, someone knows which cell towers your phones connect to and could correlate their locations if they repeatedly come close to one another, though Meta probably don’t have ready access to that data. Something’s always being sold to data brokers though, and it’s very hard to prevent them from spotting patterns that reveal who you really are.
Thanks - yeah i thought you were talking about the phone that would run the apps, but you were describing the part of the phone verification!
