On Mon, 2018-09-03 at 19:25 -0700, Victor Odhner wrote:
> I use Google for the calendar, but make only occasional use of GMail.
> 
> I have this little game of seeing how much I can avoid handing over to Google.
> So on my old phone, I only synchronized my calendar items with Google.
> I avoided synching everything else, there was no need.

We are so down with that.  Skynet never got our calendar.  I figured
out owncloud before we got that desperate.

We're trying to rely on owncloud's web interface and its support for
mobile screens.  If its Mail application turns out to be a PITA, we'll
be looking at K-9 or some other encrypted email app (with, presumably,
a private email keys list).

I think we have secure access, via phone, to our private Contacts,
Calendars, Files, and Mail.  Even Text and Phone is secure and private
among the brethren using LinPhone (and kamailio).

> That was in the not-evil days: now it seems to be sync all or nothing.

I sync Google to my "Normals" contact list so I can text and phone
normal people like a normal person should (in plain view of all). 
Normal people don't care if they are tracked because they have nothing
to hide. <wink/wink, nudge/nudge>

I think it hygienic to keep a high wall between your facade of normalcy
and the mysteries of your cloister.  Using separate apps is just
another brick in the wall.

> Q: If I’m using a different mail client for non-Google email, will a sync
>  with Google slurp up all my contacts anyway?

That would depend on the mail client.  The owncloud Mail application
("just" a web 2.0 page) should not be able to read, much less write to,
the phone's contacts.  Android apps should promise to backup new
contacts somewhere else.

> I’m not about to replace my OS, but just curious:
>   Are there versions of Android that don’t feed the Beast?

I don't know how deep your paranoia runs but I expect Google will show
you what it knows about you, so at least you can check your hygiene.

Do you have a cloud you trust with which to sync?  (That was mostly the
point of my earlier message: "Decentralize the Internet?")

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