Implementing Privacy Features: block App tracker - hide geolocation - hide IP address

Received my Jolla Phone yesterday. First impression is quite good; build quality, setup, tutorial, gestures, Android compatibility…everything works well right out of the box so far. This could be a daily driver phone :smiling_cat_with_heart_eyes:

Coming from Murena / Fairphone / /e/OS / LineageOS universe, first thing i miss is the “Advanced Privacy” widget, which is baked into /e/OS… makes it really easy to get info & control over trackers and other features (see pic)…

Is something similar available for SailfishOS as native linux-based app?

I would love to see these features on SFOS; it’s advertised as privacy focused phone after all…

3 Likes

I agree with you. It would be nice having something like the EOS privacy in SFOS. Currently I use a Fairphone 4 with EOS as my daily driver.

1 Like

The ad-blocking app is called Defender and can be found in Chum store. Choose a tracking filter list of your choice and off you go. It works great for me.

Coming from e/os, too, this was the feature I was missing most in the beginning and I was really happy to find it.

Edit: One more thing: Jolla sells the phone with the claim, that it does not spy on you. This is correct. But this does not mean, that SFOS prevents others (website tracking cookies) snooping. Also in e/os you have to activate the tracking filter.

4 Likes

Sailfish OS is an oldschool OS which is fundamentally uninterested in your data. This is not to be confused with these newfangled privacy-as-a-product Android clones. By all means, be restrictive with your data - but countermeasures will always be a loosing battle - just dump the crap you don’t trust.

7 Likes

Isn’t it like Graphene? :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: Trying to get away from Google while using a Google device for privacy. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

2 Likes
  • app trackers & ads: hosts-block or similar or a (AAS) browser that implements sth like that
  • geolocation: switch of Location (top bar)
  • Real IP Address: use a VPN
5 Likes

Thanks for the hint.

Installed the stores (Storeman/Chum) and got Defender.

But for some reason it does not start. Theres no GUI showing up. SFOS is up to date. Any way to troubleshoot this?

1 Like

Hmm. that’s strange, as we are using the same phone and it does work here.

Did you apply the latest system update?

Settings - system - Sailfish OS updates.

Defender should work on the JP26.

Did you get it from CHUM?

As the versions on Storeman are very old.

good point, will check!

regarding defender app, i reinstalled from chum & restarted my phone. Tapped the app symbol and after granting permissions, it shows a loading screen/tile for a few seconds and then vanishes. Not sure if this is expected or how i can check if the app loaded properly.

1 Like

Same experience as Konifere, downloaded latest chum, searched for and installed Defender, it loads but never opens.

I’m on latest sfos on jp2

1 Like

I got the same issue as Konifere and emewu.

Even after restarting the phone and only starting Defender.

JP2026 with SFOS 5.2.0.17.

1 Like

Dang.
Then something changed again from 5.2.0.16 to 5.2.0.17! But tbh I would not expect it.
Maybe @aos can confirm/deny or knows already solution?

Please try

sailjail -p harbour-defender -- /usr/bin/sailfish-qml harbour-defender

from terminal

4 Likes

Probably hit by Launcher activates wrong application (weird it’s not activating another noarch qml app in the reports) (edit: clean install, did activate forum viewer for me, yeah with closed viewer works fine (or did it need to be run once from term first, not sure))

Nah, I do not think so:

[quote="throwaway69, post:16, topic:31981,
edit: clean install, did activate forum viewer for me, yeah with closed viewer works fine (or did it need to be run once from term first, not sure))
[/quote]
Not sure I understand, but Defender needs no user hacks to be started…

Yrah this one’s weird, but it is affected by the launcher bug

Sorry for the ignorance, could you please explain what this command should do?
This way we can start learning more about the terminal and how sfos works :smiley:

Erm?
Starting the app (sailjailed)? :wink: