Gboard safe to use with network permission revoked?
from quickenparalysespunk@lemmy.dbzer0.com to degoogle@lemmy.ml on 20 Feb 22:58
https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/38292767

for English i use heliboard. but i type in other languages also, and there are no practical choices in foss keyboards for those specific languages which also have the mainstream IME/key layout for my language (not qwerty).

fcitx provides some hope for the future but for now, it also doesn’t have the IME/key layout for my language (only has qwerty). hopefully it can also have handwriting in the future somehow (if only via user-installed model/blob similar to heliboard glide typing).

anyway, I’m on Graphene OS. so i wondered if revoking network permission and setting gboard permanently to incognito (is permanent possible?) would suffice to cut off data collection?

edit: FYI the languages/key layouts i need are Japanese via 12-key flick and Cantonese via traditional Chinese handwriting input

#degoogle

threaded - newest

Chewy7324@discuss.tchncs.de on 20 Feb 23:26 next collapse

Given GrapheneOS does not have privileged Google Services, revoking network permissions should completely stop any data from leaving GBoard.

On other ROMs with privileged Google Services this might not be the case, altough I don’t expect it.

smeg@feddit.uk on 21 Feb 01:12 next collapse

I think if you have play services installed then apps which want to talk to it still can (even with GrapheneOS sandboxing) even with network permission denied. I believe it’s just how all apps behave (not a special play services privilege), but I can’t remember if I read it on the GrapheneOS FAQ or just in some random comment.

jet@hackertalks.com on 21 Feb 02:58 next collapse

You are 100% correct

In GOS apps in the same profile can have consensual IPC. If Google play is installed in the profile then apps can proxy data through it to Google.

(This is how the google notification framework works for example)

quickenparalysespunk@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 24 Feb 06:03 collapse

thank for the confirmation. I’ll go with something else

Geodad@lemm.ee on 21 Feb 17:16 collapse

I’d just as soon not use google apps, where possible.

harsh3466@lemmy.ml on 20 Feb 23:47 next collapse

I’ve been using FUTO Keyboard and I really want to like and support FOSS projects, but goddam is it maddening at times. I was just contemplating gboard with network access blocked on my pixel with graphene when I saw this in my feed.

SatyrSack@feddit.org on 21 Feb 00:51 collapse

HeliBoard is a good FOSS alternative to FUTO Keyboard

github.com/Helium314/HeliBoard

dracs@programming.dev on 21 Feb 00:50 next collapse

That’s what I’ve been doing. I use Futo as my regular keyboard, but Gboard for Japanese input. I did have to give it network access very briefly when I first installed it to let it download some dictionary/autocomplete. But working fine since I disabled network again after that.

merde@sh.itjust.works on 21 Feb 02:03 next collapse

pasting my comment here too. It may help somebody :

i’m trilingual and i use AnySoftKeyboard ☞ github.com/AnySoftKeyboard/AnySoftKeyboard or github.com/AnySoftKeyboard/AnySoftKeyboard

it supports 58 languages. Did you try ASK?

aprehendedmerlin@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 21 Feb 07:59 collapse

Guys I use Futo keyboard too and my main problem is that I can’t find dictionary files for auto correct in my language. Do you know any sources I can look at? Or I’m just out of luck

Cris16228@lemmy.today on 21 Feb 10:17 collapse

Maybe tell people the language you need?

[deleted] on 21 Feb 12:43 collapse

.