This is something I can’t figure out, because my understanding is that no matter what OS you install, unless you bought your Mac with cash, your serial number and credit card are now connected…and will always be spilling data about you.
Thanks for any advice…I’m wondering if it’s worth it to install a new OS.
all Apple devices are part of a covert peer-to-peer network and its primary purpose is to facilitate the Airtags and find-my-shit apps. it runs on desktops, laptops, phones, ipads, watches, etc., including when they’re supposedly off. you can’t turn it off or opt out of it and what that crap additionally does and how secure it is is unknown.
having said that, if you run linux on an old intel-based macbook or similar (say, up to 2015 models) you’re out of that racket and similarly all Apple or iCloud based crap. they do have a permanently enabled IME but that’s true for the majority of devices sold and, dependent on your threat model, isn’t an issue per se.
not sure about the “credit card” angle as you can’t buy a new Apple device that runs linux, the asahi mess is limited to M1/2 models which are like 5 years old at this point.
Thanks! Interesting, I didn’t know you can’t install Linux on a newer machine. Mine is just a few years old. I want to leave the Apple ecosystem, but I don’t want to have to ditch a fairly new laptop and buy a different one.
No, if what you described were true it would be impossible to give someone an apple computer without getting confused for the person you gave it to.
Or to refurbish and use a mac from the trash can without being mistaken for the previous user.
I have done both with no problems.
Apple does know what you bought from them… because they sold it to you and gave you a receipt and kept a record of it to accurately account for taxes just like wal mart does when I buy a bag of apples from the produce department.
Wal mart doesn’t serialize their apples, but they do serialize their game consoles and keep track of those, so maybe that’s a better example.
I guess I gotta ask: what do you think is happening between the credit card and the serial number of the computer and how do you think it’s happening?
Thank you! I actully have read that if you sell your Mac, your info is still attached to it. Which is actually good for you and bad for Apple, I guess, because they could be attaching the wring info to you.
I don’t know the details, but in Extreme Privacy, the author says that to be untraceable, you need to buy a laptop with cash, then wipe it and install Linux. I’m not super techie, but to me that means if you use a credit card, Apple can now attach the laptop to your identity… which is of course connected with everything else that’s been collected about you by third parties.
I don’t think purchase info is necessary tied to hardware out of the box beyond asset tracking. That would cause issues with gifting.
The easy answer is if you don’t run the software, it can’t collect data.
However, the firmware is network capable and certain diagnostic tools and recovery modes can call home. I am not familiar to the extent, however.
This also does not stop other devices, Apple included, from detecting the Mac and reporting home hardware/location data.
What data?
It’s possible there’s something in the firmware or BIOS that transmits some things to Apple; I do not know for sure, but maybe someone else will show up here who knows details about this. Even if that is so, Apple gets significantly less data because anything built into macOS won’t be running.
It’s more likely hidden chips on the motherboard or in other circuits are sending data back to China. I, like you, doubt Apple is doing anything beyond the software level.
To what extent the Apple product is spilling data to Apple, it’s the Apple software doing it, which Linux would mitigate, but depending on which mac you have, it may not even support Linux yet. If anything, you should probably be more paranoid about Windows on modern Intel. The secure enclave shit Windows 11 requires has its own network stack it can use to phone home sans the OS knowing.
Thanks for the info!
from what i remember before i jumped from macos to debian is that debian does not collect data, save for maybe like crash reports or something but that can be toggled off. the packages you install may collect data, depending on what you’re installing.
I’ll look into this, thanks!
