How should I use Shelter?

Using / e / Applications
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#1

Shelter can create a second (“work”) profile on my phone
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/net.typeblog.shelter/

But, unlike Facebook Container, it does not isolate a single app,
unless I put only 1 app in this second profile.

So, my question is: does it make sense to install other apps with
maps (public transport app, bike sharing, ride hailing apps etc)
or trackers in the “work” profile created by Shelter or would I be
shooting myself in the foot, basically giving access to data from
these apps to the most pernicious app of them all, the one I wanted
to “isolate” at all costs in the first place, i.e. Whatsapp?

What is the best way to do it? Put everything that is safe in one profile
and everything which leaks in the other? Or isolate only the worst app(s)?

#2

Shelter is a container and ALL data inside this container are available for ALL apps in the container. It makes no sense for me to install a lot of apps which are tracking you and sh…t on privacy in shelter or on you phone.

The best way would be to search for trackerfree alteratives for you ‘needed’ apps.

In shelter only really really really needed apps with trackers should be installed. I have only whatsapp and instagram inshelter. Whatsapp, because I have 5 beauties which won’t swap to telegram and instagram to show my paintings, All other apps are in main profile and coming from f-droid or Aurora But Aurora apps get restricted in web access or they are also tracker free

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Some questions about Shelter
#3

Thanks for the answer, and I think I agree.

But I’m not sure about what to do with a number of apps for public transport, like
CityMapper and Transit; car sharing, like car2go, plus Enjoy and Sharengo for Milan,
Italy; trains, like Orario Treni and Trenord (Italy again) or cycling, like Urban Cyclers.

#4

you know the öffi app from f-droid. It includes several country bus and train routes
CityMapper ? why don’t use any ‘normal’ map . They all have city maps
or use it via web browser

same for the other apps. They have an web interface, so you can use them via web browser

#5

Well, I see your point and in some cases it’s ok via browser, but not always.
And in any case: do you save the passwords and remain logged in all the time?

I know and respect öffi, but CityMapper and Transit are truly a bit better.

#6

OK, only keep in mind, that in shelter all apps with trackers will report your data ‘home’. If it is OK for, use them :wink:

#7

Basically, in both profiles, the normal one and the one created by shelter, all apps with trackers will try to get all the data they can grab and send it to their servers, right?

#8

yepp, but your normal profile should be tracker free !!!

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#9

Sorry to revive this old post, but I think is important to keep the information compact.
I’ve never used WA or FB, but through tracker control I learnt that gnucash, an open source app, is sending trackers to CLOUDFLARENET.

My knowledge is not sufficient to judge the dangerousness of these trackers.

Would be a sage decision to move gnucash (or any app I will discover sending trackers) within shelter ?

#10

You know cloudflarenet ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloudflare

I think it’s a service like Amazon severs. It’s where software are services located. Have you blocked that connection ? Is the app still working ??

#11

Hi @harvey186. Tracker Control is in charge to block gnucash from reaching internet.
IMG_20200830_180237

Is that not enough ?

I see in one of your post that “shelter is like being in your bedroom where you can’t see what’s going on in the corridor”. Can’t find the link right now.

Citing Prof Zubhoff on the right of everyone to have a “sanctuary”, am I wrong in saying the shelter is the corridor/street instead than your bedroom/sanctuary ?

Back to my question, I now see that the best config would be gnucash in shelter where tracker control is installed. Right ? Or am I complicating things too much?

Sorry for my silly questions: I’m still in the upslope of learning curve

#12

Sorry, I really don’t know what you are meaning with your comment :frowning:

If you don’t want that GNU cash send any data, block it from Internet. TrackerControl has an Option for this.

And sorry, I really don’t know, what i has todo with shelter.

#13

You mean specifically it’s communicating over https using cloudflare’s infrastructure, right? I am not familiar with this software but it has features like currency exchange, stock prices from various sources, logging in to bank accounts, etc. It seems that it has really legitimate reasons to use the network connection.

#14

@harvey186 I hope you’ll forgive me for reminding this post of yours
[HOWTO] Using WhatsApp under shelter

which was the one I was referring to with my comment.

I know, it’s not fair to remember such old posts.

Please see that I have no alternatives on where to learn things except reading, studying and discussing. Mostly on this valuable forum.

Reading here and there I went to the conclusion that Shelter is the place where installing and using “bad” or “suspicious” apps.

So when I read “bedroom for Shelter” from a respectable member of the forum as you are, I thought that I completely misunderstood what Shelter was for.

@666
I really do not know if gnucash (mobile) uses that infrastructure. In doubt is blocked by tracker control.

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#15

A really huge chunk of the internet/web is now going through Cloudflare, case in point happening right now: Hulu, the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Feedly, Discord, and dozens of other services reported connectivity problems Sunday morning. Cloudflare said the problem was with a third-party “transit provider,” and its service was becoming increasingly stable over the course of the day.

That’s only the huge services everybody would know if are mentioned, of course there are many more smaller things that could be using Cloudflare, from some page with exchange rates/stock prices to your bank.