For those unfamiliar, GrapheneOS is a privacy and security enhanced custom ROM endorsed by Snowden. Despite these big names, plenty of people give it backlash
Even @TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml gives it backlash despite being a moderator of Lemmy’s biggest privacy community. A quote here: “grapheneOS trolls are downvoting every single post and comment of mine, and committing vote manipulation on Lemmy. They are using 5-6 accounts.” That was in response to downvotes on a comment posted in the c/WorldNews community, which is entirely unrelated to technology.
One of the reasons is that GrapheneOS can only be installed on Google Pixels due to security compatibility, which makes complete sense considering Android should be most compatible with Google’s own devices. GrapheneOS even lists the exact reasons they chose Pixels, and encourage people to step up and manufacture a different supported device.
One year ago, Louis Rossmann posted this video outlining his reasons for deleting GrapheneOS. Mainly, he had multiple bad experiences with Daniel Micay (the founder and main developer of GrapheneOS) which put his distrust in the GrapheneOS project. Since then, he has stepped down and will no longer be actively contributing to the project.
So, I am here to learn why exactly people still do not like GrapheneOS.
Micay did not step down nor is it a symbolic gesture. He removed himself, at the demand of others within the organization, from any public relations duties he once held. He is an excellent and talented engineer and an absolutely horrible representative.
He has no people skills. He does continue to contribute and guides the project privately. It should have been done long ago because I think he has done a lot of damage by overreacting and fostering a community of toxicity by being a bad example.
Since his departure it has been improving and GrapheneOS is becoming mature and a far cry from the Copperhead days.
He still regularly bans people and removes posts he disagrees with or that show the bad side of Graphene
I don’t think it has improved that much. The current social team just repackages the same opinions and behavior with fewer meltdowns. I see the change as purely symbolic.