monkeyingaround

time well spent then, sleep well

I think this pretty much tells me everything I suspected about HN.

stock android apps have sensible default permissions and are modifiable, e.g. clock does not have unmodifiable access to every aspect of your phone. clearer?

...and the goalposts shift

i can't remember the last time i felt fear expressing my beliefs on my phone here in the USA so you tell me

Xiaomi phones are insane, at least BlackShark. They replace virtually all the major user level stuff of Android with extreme data collecting alternatives. They then make it so that you cannot disable many of them (via adp, custom ROMs etc.) without bricking the phone, I'm talking wallpaper or clock apps that run with full, non-modifiable privileges. They subsidize cheap hardware with truly insane level of tracking.

They will also stop allowing custom ROMs once they've built up enough reputation, some newer models already will never have custom ROMs.

correct. i think it's all just part of a slow narrative shift that is seeking to regulate the market away.