How safe is /e/ actually. The question comes up by someone who warns us/me which junk is actually /e/. Yes, how does /e/ handle my safety and am I protected? and how secure is my smartphone
Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/ the unGoogled mobile OS and online services
Depends how you use it. Which apps you download and install, etc etc. Take precautions as best you can.
First app to download TrackerControl on F-Droid.
The most important question is: Do you use /e/ on a device that supports locking your bootloader? If yes (like when you bought a Murena device), I’d say /e/ is safe enough for any normal consumer. While it may not run the very best and hardened kernel (although you might want to change that), it still checks the basics. The inclusion of microG as well as dev / userdebug kernels is weakening Androids security concept though.
If you run /e/ on a device where you can’t relock the bootloader without bricking the device, it’s highly unsafe. While the risk of badly behaving apps is the same, any attacker who steals your phone or manages to plug a cable into it can easily break into your device. I wouldn’t recommend removing that pesky warning message when booting your device though, as this eventually makes you unaware of the huge door that’s always open.
However, if you only got personal information on your device and aren’t a public person the risk is manageable. It all depends on your personal security model. 
What message are you referring to?
The warning about your bootloader being unlocked and your data being potentially exposed.
@Noxi Sorry I am a complete newbie when it comes to this stuff. Could you please explain the bootloader. I bought a terracube 2e and I do get a message on startup that says something like “orange status. This phone is unlocked and cannot be trusted”. It does not mention the " bootloader" specifically, but I am assuming this is what it is talking about.
Is this a problem? How does one lock and unlock the bootloader and should/can I do that on the terracube?
This sounds very much like your bootloader being unlocked, yes. I can’t tell you if you can / should relock the bootloader however on your 2e, as this can easily BRICK your device if a ROM developer (in this case that’s the /e/ devs) didn’t sign their kernel. I asked in the forum regarding my OnePlus 7 Pro a while ago, did not get any answer however.
There is a way to sign it yourself, however that’s very advanced and risky if you don’t know a way to unbrick your device. I’m only slowly getting into that myself.
Like I said, all of this is mostly a problem if you have critical data on your device and are anxious about it being stolen.
Hello
I installed /e/ via easy installer on my Fairphone 3+
The boodloader is simply closed again.
In addition, I have installed a number of Microsoft apps on my smartphone because I already have an account with Microsoft. I installed the following Apps. Outlook, office, teams and a few others. I have Here WeGo as a route planner. Now you may wonder why all these Apps I come from Windows Phone and I have been using these Apps for a long time. There will be alternatives but they don’t always work for me. And I think no matter how you do it they will always be able to trace some of you. But if /e /not reliable how should I secure my smartphone?
the Fairphone 3+ is officially supported and in a stable state. Although the Teracube 2e also got a stable release only the devs could tell if relocking the bootloader is safe. As for me, the option to lock the bootloader was removed, so that’s a clear “don’t do that” in my eyes.
If you REALLY want security, GrapheneOS + self-hosted solutions ONLY would be the way to go. A more comfortable but still safe way would be CalyxOS. /e/ is very much for the normal consumer I think, who don’t want to jump straight into the poison pit (Google, Apple, Microsoft), but also likes a comfortable experience.
Always remember, there ain’t someone specifically targetting you to get your data (unlike you’re some important person, in that case seek professional advise). It’s just algorithms, and with a little bit of knowledge almost any of that can be circumvented, also on /e/. It just costs a little bit of comfort.
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