Hi all,

I have released a new free privacy web tool today called: PrivacyTrail.

What it does

• Browse privacy-friendly alternatives to the apps you already use, see what the pros/cons are of each to understand what fits you best.
• Track your progress app by app as you make the switch.
• Get a privacy score that rises as you move away from surveillance tools.
• Share your trail with others via screenshots.

Why did I build it

This tool captures the journey: tracking your progress, understanding the tradeoffs, and having a way to talk through why a particular alternative makes sense for you.

What I keep hearing from friends and family is some version of: "I want to switch, but between work, kids, and just getting through the day, figuring out alternatives feels like a whole project I don't have time for." This site is my attempt to lower that barrier, surface quick, honest reasons to switch, and walk people through the actual migration steps instead of just dropping a list of app names on them.

I also think people shouldn't be made to feel guilty for sticking with mainstream services if they tried a privacy alternative and it just didn't work for them. If privacy-respecting options aren't good enough to replace mainstream ones for most people, that's on us as developers to fix, not something to guilt users over.

Who is this site for?

Mainly aimed at people just starting their privacy journey, but I would love for it to be useful to privacy-enthusiasts too to find new options.

Who am I

20+ years as a software engineer. I am taking a year off from commercial work to build a few free, tech-for-good projects (some self-hostable). Privacy's a big focus for me, I worry about where our digital future is headed as everything gets squeezed into another subscription. Privacy isn't a feature. It's a right.

Your data on the site

Everything is stored in the browser, you can download all your data in JSON format.

A few people have asked about syncing data across devices via a database. I'd love to support this, but I don't want to tie any data to identifiable info like emails. If there's enough interest, I'd consider building this with passphrase-based authentication instead, so you'd get cross-device access without me ever needing to know who you are.

I use self-hosted anonymous analytics on the website to understand tool usage.

Feedback

Feedback is very welcome and appreciated particularly if you spot anything in the alternatives that is not accurate or dated. Thank you for taking time out of your day to do this 🙏.

https://privacytrail.org/

Hey all, I don't post often but I came across this site with some stunning icons and I made a little script to tar and install them as Linux icons. The set are for iOS so a bit limiting, around ~80 icons but they are really nice. Credits goes to them.

Mapping is tricky so there's a picker for perfectionists.

I wanna see some nice rices.

https://github.com/xi-Rick/icon-maker

https://github.com/Ruvyrom/Ruvomain-Protocole this is the link for Ruvomain Protocole on Github.

Is it safe to do? Will it void the warranty or Accidental Damage protection. I still have got 2.5 years of warranty left.

Minimal footprint, zero visual clutter. Focused on efficiency and terminal-centric workflow. BTRFS snapshots for reliability. No bloat, just the essentials.

Following the interest in my previous S24+ optimization guide, I wanted to share a more radical experiment I’ve been running on my secondary device: a Pixel 6 runningLineageOS.

The goal wasn't just to optimize, but to reach a "bare-metal" privacy state by surgically stripping away all non-essential hardware and system layers.

The Setup:

Base: LineageOS

Battery: 4years+ and 1310 cycle

Deep-Debloat: Surgical removal of the entire telephony stack (No Dialer, No SMS/MMS), NFC, and all non-essential background services.

I used Shizuku + Canta to audit and remove over 280 components.

Core Services: Sideloaded MicroGPlus via zip for minimal Google compatibility without the spyware overhead.

Privacy Stack: I’ve replaced the OEM ecosystem with a clean, privacy-first stack:

Browser: Brave (for script and ad blocking).

Apps: Aurora Store for anonymous access, and the Fossify suite (Gallery, Clock, Calculator, etc.) to replace all proprietary OEM software.

Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth only (Modem stack completely disabled).

Why go this far?

By killing the radio/modem stack, I effectively eliminated the primary attack vector for zero-click exploits and stoppedthe device from constantly waking up to scan for network changes. It’s no longer a phone in the traditional sense; it’s a hardened, offline-focused terminal for media, secure tasks, and local compute.The

Results:

Performance: System runs on ~2.6GB - 2.7GB of RAM, leaving the vast majority of the 8GB RAM available for local tasks.

Idle: The battery curve is effectively flat. Without the radio stack, the device staysin deep sleep indefinitely.

Stability: Even after a massive teardown, the system remains perfectly stable and snappy.

Technical Takeaway:

This experiment proves that modern Android (when stripped to its AOSP roots) can beextremely lightweight and secure. This isn't just about removing "bloatware," it's about reclaiming hardware sovereigntyand reducing the digital footprint to the absolute minimum.

I'm happy to discuss the methodology or the challenges of sideloading MicroGPlus on a stripped build if anyone is interested.

Update:For those asking about the "Bare-Metal" setup I've structured my Canta configurationinto a clean JSON manifest. This is the exact list of packages I've stripped from my Pixel 6 running LineageOS to achievenear-zero idle drain.

⚠️ Warning: This is an aggressive setup. It is intended for advancedusers who understand what they are removing. Always perform a full backup before applying these changes. You can find the manifest here: Ruvomain Pixel 6/LineageOS Bare-Metal Manifest

Feel free to use it as a reference for your own debloating journey.Let me know if you manage to reach even lower power consumption levels

*( For those curious about how I apply theseconcepts to mainstream devices like my daily S24+,

you can find my previous guide here: S24+XDA )*

Many in the privacy community believe that truly 'de-googling' or stripping down a modern flagship requires custom ROMs or rooting. While that was true a decade ago, it is a legacy approach today. Rooting in 2024 sacrifices Knox integrity, trips security flags, breaks banking apps, and introduces unnecessary vulnerabilities. After extensive testing on the S24+, I’ve perfected a 'non-root' methodology that achieves total system control, aggressive telemetry suppression, and elite battery performance without ever touching the bootloader.

The Methodology (The 'Ruvomain Protocol'):

Instead of rooting, I leverage the Shizuku ecosystem to act as a system-level mediator.

- Decoupling: Using Canta to remove pre-installed bloatware and telemetry-heavy packages that standard settings can't touch.

- Permission Hardening: Using AppOps to surgically remove 'hidden' permissions (location, activity recognition, background execution) from apps that don't need them.

Network-Level Filtering: Implementing AdGuard/NextDNS profiles to kill telemetry at the packet level, effectively silencing the modem and eliminating background radio wake-ups.

The Results:

The efficiency is not just theoretical.

- Battery: Sustained 11h+ SOT (Screen-On Time).

- Standby: Negligible drain over 46+ hours.

Privacy:

Total silence from the device towards Samsung/Google analytics servers. This approach transforms a 'data-mining' stock device into an autonomous, high-performance tool while maintaining full security updates and banking app functionality.

I’m curious to see what setups the community uses to achieve this level of isolation on modern hardware without the instability of custom ROMs. Are you still using the 'root' approach, or has anyone else moved to a Shizuku-based methodology?

>[UPDATE - RESOURCE HUB] > >For those asking for the specific walk-throughs, blacklists, and filters mentioned in the post: I have laid out the full architectural stack in the comments below. Please refer to the discussion thread with user Helpful_Director_288 for the detailed breakdown of the privacy-hardened DNS configuration and implementation workflow.

For those interested in the full technical implementation, including the sourceJSON files and the comprehensive maintenance protocol, the documentation is archived on XDA:

My protocol on XDA

I’ve completely reimagined the One UI experience. The goal was to reachan AOSP-like level of minimalism, responsiveness, and privacy, without sacrificing the hardware-level optimizations of the S24+ or tripping Knox.

The Architecture:

Launcher: Lawnchair 15 (Customflow for maximum efficiency).

Icons: Lawnicons (Material You adaptive).

UI/System: Deep customization via Good Lock (Theme Park) for a consistent monochrome/monostyle aesthetic across QS panels, volume sliders, and settings.

Hardening: System-level bloat removal and telemetry isolation via the"Ruvomain Protocol" (Shizuku, Canta, AppOps)

Network: Adguard + Nextdns, no advertisement, no tracking, no telemetry.

Weather: Breezy Weather (Open-source, no telemetry).

Keyboard: HeliBoard (Open-source, local-only).

Apps: Full migration to the **Fossify Suite** (Phone, Messages, Gallery, Calendar, Calculator).

Why: By switching to the Fossify ecosystem, I've eliminated telemetry at the app level. No tracking, no background fluff, just pure functionality. The interface is now unified, silent, and incredibly responsive. Knox remains 100% intact.

Philosophy: This isn't just a theme; it's a workflow. By removing the intrusive Samsung services and remapping the UI, I've managed to reduce background activity to near-zero levels. The interface is now"silent," allowing for pure focus.

No Root, Knox intact.

Happy to answer any technical questions regarding the hardening/debloating process.

[UPDATE/DISCLAIMER]

Following the moderator's note: I want to emphasize that the Ruvomain Protocol is an advanced, experimental optimization workflow. It is not an official procedure. This approach requires a solid understanding of your device’s architecture. As with any system-level modification, please research every package you manage before disabling it. Proceed with caution and assume full responsibility for your device's stability.

My protocole on Github