If you look at any social media for the graphene OS project, which is a security hardened Android derivative that has a good reputation for security, most of the posts are standard news updates about what's going on with the project and new security features, news about android bugs that were discovered in the wild but which don't affect them, etc.

But a significant amount of the posts are long threads about people the project claims are "attacking" them and "spreading malicious lies" and "directing targeted harassment" at them, and if it was like one or two people they were saying this about, I'd be like OK. I get it.

But it's constant. Every couple of months, someone or some group has cone out of the wood work to start "attacking" them.

There've been many people pointing this out about them. There have been a few high profile reviews of them from tech platforms online that boil down to like, it's a good OS, but the people running it are extremely aggressive.

It makes me wonder what the heck is going on. Is it possible it's not actually that good, but no one wants them going scorched earth on them so they keep quiet?

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voxpoplar wrote on April 22, 2025 at 10:15 AM

#24,885

I have not looked into this at all but it’s probably just made by dickheads who can’t take any criticism.

emma wrote on April 22, 2025 at 10:58 AM

#24,886

they have a history of doing this, going back years. from what i've seen, it takes very little to be accused of being hostile to the project or the lead developer, so i don't find any of their claims against specific people or organisations to be credible.

twovests wrote on April 22, 2025 at 12:40 PM

#24,887

Yeah, I follow them for news but it's increasingly just long rants about the malicious forces conspiring against them. The cited attacks are just... Milquetoast criticism.

I installed Graphene on my phone and like the OS but I think I'll be using Calyx next time.

It's a concern though, because it feels like just mentioning GrapheneOS can summon the developer. Maybe the evil forces conspiring against GrapheneOS was the friends we made along the way.

flabberghaster OP wrote on April 22, 2025 at 4:53 PM

#24,890

Replying to emma (#24,886)

I don't find them credible either, I just find the way they go sicko mode on everyone all the time weird and feels like what you'd do to put up a smokescreen.

I don't think they're doing that necessarily, I think thestinger just has Mental Health, like a lot of us do. But seriously it's an awful way to present the project.

cute_spider wrote on April 22, 2025 at 5:09 PM

#24,892

They kind of sound like a modern immune system. They don't have enough legitimate attackers so they're just bashing whatever

I bet if someone were to tear then up in an attack they'd cool it

flabberghaster OP wrote on April 22, 2025 at 5:52 PM (edited on April 22, 2025 at 5:53 PM)

#24,893

Replying to voxpoplar (#24,885)

I think that's right. I use the OS myself and I once went in to their matrix chat to ask for help on something because the way notifications worked had changed (I wanted to mute some notifs and not others and couldn't figure it out).

Immediately the main developer replied telling me I was doing it wrong, the way notifications worked in the OS was right and working as intended, and I was wrong and didn't get it. And I was like what the hell man. I came in here saying "I don't understand this, can someone please help me figure out how to use it?" And I was still accused of being a dumbass who didn't get it.