AdGuard DNS is a hosted encrypted resolver that drops a lot of ad and tracker domains before the page even loads. There is a family mode and a mode that only does security. Any device that can take a DNS hostname can use it. No app is required, though AdGuard also sells apps. It is […]
Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole you run yourself, usually on a small computer on the home network. Devices use it as their resolver. Domains on your block lists get a dummy answer, so the ad or tracker never loads. The admin page shows which device tried to call which name. Pi-hole does not encrypt anything […]
Ubuntu Touch is a Linux phone system maintained by the UBports Foundation. Google and Apple are not in the stack. The app store is its own. Fairphone, Volla, and Pine phones are the hardware people actually boot. Banking apps, ride shares, and anything that expects Google Play will not run. The catalog is small. Cameras […]
Quad9 is a recursive DNS resolver run by a Swiss foundation. The address most people use is 9.9.9.9, or the encrypted name dns.quad9.net. It refuses to resolve domains that threat-intel lists mark as malware or phishing, and it says it drops your IP address at the edge instead of keeping a query log tied to […]
NextDNS is a hosted resolver you configure like a firewall. Block ads, trackers, and malware lists per device. Turn the analytics off and it stops drawing you a graph of your own house. It speaks DNS over HTTPS and DNS over TLS, and it gives you a hostname to paste into Android Private DNS or […]
/e/OS, from the Murena project, is de-Googled Android aimed at people who will not use a command line. There is an app store, an optional cloud, and phones sold with the system already installed. The default setup uses microG. That is an open reimplementation, and some features, such as push notifications, still go through Google’s […]
GrapheneOS is a hardened Android that only officially runs on Google Pixel phones. Play Store apps can be installed inside a sandbox: they run as ordinary apps, not as the privileged Google services on a stock phone. Verified boot, a relocked bootloader, and extra exploit hardening are the point. The modem is fenced off from […]
CalyxOS is a de-Googled Android from the Calyx Institute. It uses microG so many normal apps still run. microG is an open stand-in, and pieces of it still talk to Google for push and similar jobs. You also get a firewall and a kinder installer than most custom ROMs. Pixels, Fairphones, and some Motorola phones […]
LineageOS is the community Android that replaced CyanogenMod. It supports a long list of phones and keeps devices alive after the maker stops. Google is not required. If you flash the optional Google package, you put Google back. There is no Graphene-style hardening, and many builds leave the bootloader unlocked. An unlocked bootloader is easier […]
Tails is a live system you boot from a USB stick. The network path is Tor. When you shut down, the session is gone unless you turned on the encrypted persistent folder. Nothing about the design wants to be your everyday laptop. Tor is slow, and some sites block it. The persistent volume is convenient […]
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