Are you a fan of open source applications and looking for ways to keep your personal data and communications safe? Having antivirus protection installed on your phone is definitely not enough. Below we will see four open source applications for Android that will help you ensure your privacy and keep your information safe.
1. Orbot
Orbot is an open source application, based on Tor, that allows you to surf anonymously on your Android device. Orbot uses Tor to encrypt your traffic, protecting your identity and privacy. Orbot was developed by The Tor Project, and was first released in 2008.
When enabling the Tor proxy while using Orbot, you will be prompted to use an application called Orfox, which is essentially an open source browser based on the Tor Browser source code. Using any other browser will not allow you to mask your identity behind the Tor Proxy and surf anonymously.
Additionally, Orbot's Apps VPN Mode feature also allows apps on your device to connect to the internet using the Tor network. However, for Orbot to work effectively, your device must be rooted.
2. Prey
You can use this open source app to locate your lost device. Apart from Android, Prey is also available for other leading platforms and helps you find your device in case of theft, loss, etc.
Among the many features it offers, Prey allows you to track the device's geographic location, erase data, recover files, and even take a photo of the person using the device. Of course, in order to recover the data, there must be an active internet connection.
3. Signal
Singal is an open source Android app that provides end-to-end encryption for messages and voice calls. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has urged users to install and use the app to protect their privacy in the past.
The app was first released in 2014 by Open Whisper Systems and is also available for iOS devices. The app's Signal protocol (USP) was developed by Open Whisper founder Moxie Marlinspike and Trevor Perrin in 2013.
The protocol provides end-to-end encryption in the Signal app and is also used in other popular instant messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and Google Allo.
4. DuckDuckGo
Google may be the most popular search engine on the planet, but there's another search engine that claims to be better than it because it doesn't track users. That's certainly a good argument for trying DuckDuckGo, the open-source search engine for Android that will rid you of Google's unwanted cookies once and for all.
