[kbart]

Get a phone that supports CyanogenMod. Sure, baseband still remains a blackbox and possibly backdoored, but at least you can get rid of most spyware/adware that comes preinstalled with Android. While we don't have fully open source OS with open drivers for smartphones, you cannot trust any manufacturer.

[jwfxpr]

Baseband concerns are legitimate. A good tinfoil hat approach is to use an iPod touch running an end-to-end encrypted messaging/calling app of your choice, connected to a secure hotspot. Cuts out most baseband vulnerabilities (since your data is encrypted before touching any hardware or software connected to a potentially compromised baseband).

All other concerns raised elsewhere here still apply, but the baseband threat is mitigated. Worth it...? Check that threat model again.

[kbart]

"A good tinfoil hat approach is to use an iPod touch running an end-to-end encrypted messaging/calling app of your choice, connected to a secure hotspot."

Yes, but it's not much of a phone if it's WiFi only. You could use any laptop for such scenario as well.

[jwfxpr]

You could, though the attack surface on a laptop is arguably much larger than that on an iPod. And considering most security-conscious users are unlikely to use a classical cellular phone call for a sensitive conversation, it's actually pretty comparable to a phone, considering your hotspot can be as dumb as you like. An iPod + a prepaid portable hotspot is a damn sight more usable on the go than a laptop.

[mnw21cam]

Or simply skip that step and get a phone that comes with CyanogenOS installed.

[kbart]

How do you know then that CyanogenOS itself was not modified to include unwanted software?

[dandelion_lover]

I guess one could believe the commercial companies whose revenue depends on the trust and on the ethics, such as https://tehnoetic.com/mobile-devices.

[jlgaddis]

Like this exact article/submission that we're all commenting on, where a commercial company did exactly that?

[dandelion_lover]

Not exactly. I would not say their revenue depended on ethics...