I just learned about this FydeOS project. As my PC use these days are almost, if not completely, browser related, I’ve always been interested in ChromeOS, but stayed away because I don’t want Google to “read over my shoulder”.
For this reason it took me a little time to understand the questions around Gapps and Play store, but I realize others have other priorities, and ChromeOS Flex may not have these features. Fair enough.
I notice with interest that FydeOS, like ChromeOS, has the option to login and store data centrally. Is such data encrypted on the device, and has this been confirmed by independent parties?
Alternative, are there any plan to offer an open source server so users might be able to host their own data?
Failing all that, I supposed running with a local-only account would ensure users privacy?
openfyde is open-sourced. You can compile your own version with your own server. If you don’t have the capability, use a local account, no cloud service in local account.
FydeOS is derived from openFyde, as the name suggests, open-sourced with a BSD license. openFyde is further derived from Chromium OS, it’s the same open-source initiative that is behind ChromeOS and Chrome browser.
Currently, there is no independent 3rd party to confirm data security and integrity of publically available FydeOS releases, we only have the funding and resources to commission such certification on commercial engagements to meet certain compliance requirements, for commercial projects, as long as they are paid for. & in light of this, there is no plan to open source our service stack because those are the foundations of our commercial offering capabilities. At the end of the day, Fyde is a company, not a charity.
Depending on how you wish to protect your data and privacy, and avoid being “read over your shoulder”, using Google Mobile Services and its Play Store doesn’t really make too much of a difference, as we all know that Google is an advertisement agency in a nutshell.
We are not an advertisement agency in whichever way you look at us. We are a small design house / software consulting company that picks up breadcrumbs that Google has left over. If you read our Privacy Statement, you will find that the only personal information we collect are those questions we ask you to sign up for a FydeOS account, and we give precisely zero on how people fill those blanks. Oh we do need to know the age, as by UK/EU law we can only provide services to people who are over 18, or as long as they claim they are.
FydeOS and its services in the EU/US/(RoW except China) are administered and managed by a UK company entity, so we do have to adhere to the provisions of the UK Data Protection Act which adds some extensions to the GDPR in the EU. Your data will be stored somewhere in the lands of the EU or in the islands west of the English Channel. Note that these are the places that have the lawmakers known to have the leisure exercises in fining the gang of GAFAM.
& finally, yes, using a local account helps us to reduce the AWS bill in EBS storage to store your sync preferences and meta data, as they will be local.
on how people fill those blanks. Oh we do need to know the age, as by UK/EU law we can only provide services to people who are over 18, or as long as they claim they are.