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Former US President Donald Trump and other Republican Party officials have repeatedly accused major tech companies of bias and censorship against conservatives, which eventually led to the emergence of several alternative Facebook and Twitter social networks, such as Gab, Parler, or Gettr.
Freedom Phone is another project that appeared in opposition to the policy of large tech companies. According to the website, the Freedom Phone, which costs almost $500, is the first "privacy-focused phone" with tracker blocking and an uncensored PatriApp app store. The device comes pre-installed with apps popular with conservatives, such as Parler, DuckDuckGo, Rumble, and Newsmax.
However, the Daily Beast claims that the smartphone is not what it seems at first glance. As journalists note, the Freedom Phone is just a "more expensive rebranding of the budget Chinese phone" Umidigi A9 Pro, worth about $120. The device runs on an Android version called Freedom OS. According to information security experts, Umidigi smartphones are known for their poor cybersecurity.
In addition, the Freedom Phone website does not explain how the device is protected from malware or other questionable applications.
According to experts from the XDA Developers community, Freedom Phone clearly does not offer all the functionality that Eric Finman (the creator of the project) spoke about, and "the project's marketing is only focused on prejudicing tech companies against right-wing parties, but does not offer any real solution." As for PatriApp, this is just a renamed Aurora Store (an alternative store for Google Play), experts noted.
