GrapheneOSThere are several dozen companies selling phones with GrapheneOS or forks of it. Many of these companies falsely claim to be partnered with us or working with us which isn't true. Most of these companies don't contribute back to GrapheneOS and try to get free support from us.
It's easy to install GrapheneOS with https://grapheneos.org/install/web and we don't expect to have a revenue stream from selling phones not specifically made to run GrapheneOS. Still, it's quite problematic for companies to claim they are supporting us when they aren't actually doing it.
An exception to the rule is Xiph Cyber (https://xiphcyber.com/). They've been making donations to GrapheneOS based on a portion of each phone they sell for years.
Some of the companies building on our work are upset that we've made it easier to install GrapheneOS and gradually obsoleted their changes.
Today, one of these companies has impersonated one of our moderators (who is also a moderator for Molly https://github.com/mollyim/mollyim-android and
Privacy Guides https://www.privacyguides.org). They've gone to a bunch of Matrix and Telegram rooms posting fabricated stories and doctored screenshots purporting to show GrapheneOS is 'dying'.
Privacy Guides https://www.privacyguides.org). They've gone to a bunch of Matrix and Telegram rooms posting fabricated stories and doctored screenshots purporting to show GrapheneOS is 'dying'.
In the past couple years, we've migrated to Android 12 and 13 in a week, quickly launched support for new devices (Pixel 7 in days), added dozens of major new privacy/security features like Storage Scopes, created our web installer, created the sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer and improved it to the point it supports nearly every app on the Play Store, discovered / fixed a bunch of upstream firmware / software vulnerabilities and much more. We've done this with extremely little funding while a few groups make underhanded daily attacks to harm us.
GrapheneOS is not 'dying'. It's certainly a struggle doing all of this with extremely little funding. We regularly lose developers due to them needing a full time job with proper pay. We've also been harmed a lot by these organized malicious attacks by countless charlatans.
It's unfortunate the privacy and security industries are completely full of scammers. They feel incredibly threatened by a project doing substantial privacy/security research and engineering. We've experienced an extreme level of abuse based on fabricated stories and harassment.
Most people tolerate these groups despite their blatant scamming and underhanded attacks. Journalists and conferences give them a platform to market their products. Their abuse towards us has reached the point it's completely intolerable. We need help we're not getting to end it.
thinkpad@grapheneos just wanted to let you know, that your work is highly appreciated! Just to buy a new though refurbished 6pro and got some extra discount that day. Will double and contribute it soon.