home.md

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-**Find my lost phone. Track and disable my stolen phone.**
+**Find my lost phone, but I'm the one in control.**
 
 A convenient solution, that's there when we need it, for human-centred, ethical mobile devices.
 
@@ -16,26 +16,42 @@ A convenient solution, that's there when we need it, for human-centred, ethical
 
 ## Introduction
 
-One of the quality-of-life functions we expect from our smartphones is a group of features known by names like "Find my phone". Most of the time we don't need it, but when we do then we're at best inconvenienced and at worst devastated by theft.
+"Find my phone" is one of the quality-of-life functions we expect from our mobile device. Most of the time we don't need it, but when do it can at least spare us some worry and inconvenience in the common case of mislaying our device, and occasionally it might mitigate the potentially devastating consequences of a theft.
 
-The way Big Tech does this puts themselves in full control over people's devices, with no feasible alternative.
+With the "find my phone" concept we refer to a group of functions that we can activate remotely, such as reporting its location, ringing loudly even if it was in "silent" mode, locking it, and more.
 
-We need "Find my phone" for freedom phones, in a way that gives people full authority over their devices.
+Each Big Tech vendor offers their own variations on this theme. They do it by putting themselves in full control over everyone's devices. They run the service, their service controls all the devices, and their users have no feasible alternative.
 
-"Find my Freedom Phone" is freedom software, and open standards, that that puts a person in control of finding and remotely controlling certain aspects of their own smartphones and similar devices.
+We need "Find my phone" for freedom phones, in a way that allows people full authority over their devices and their services.
 
-Power users can already find and configure software which gives them remote control over their devices. There are several kinds.
 
-My proposal is to integrate techniques from these existing technologies in a way which makes them readily accessible to ordinary people. Towards a "one click" set-up.
+## What is Find My Freedom Phone?
 
+"Find my Freedom Phone" is a facility built from freedom software and open standards, that puts a person in control of their "Find my phone" functions.
 
-## The Wider Scene, Background, Rationale
+They will be able to choose a service provider to support them. Unlike the Big Tech users, however, they will be free to change provider, use none at all, or supply their own service, as they prefer. And they will not need any existing service provider to give them permission, because they are in control.
+
+Today, a power user can find open-source software which gives them such control. In the android-compatibles sector of freedom phones, Find My Device (FMD) by Nulide is leading the way. One can install the app, host the server, configure them, grant permissions, grant permissions again after updates, store the password(s), test the functionality from time to time, and use it. It's possible, but it's not practically accessible to ordinary people.
+
+My proposal is to integrate this existing technology (largely from FMD) so as to make it readily accessible to ordinary people. A "one click" set-and-forget experience.
+
+
+## Why Work on Find My Freedom Phone?
+
+When we [choose a human-centred, ethical mobile device](https://wrily.foad.me.uk/freedom-respecting-smart-phone-want-get-have "You Too Can Have a Freedom-Respecting Smart Phone!") or "Freedom Phone" for short, we seize the means of computation and communication for ourselves. We are looking to be in control of our own relationships with technology and through technology; we are expecting privacy and ethics that align with human values rather than with Big Tech's desire to control and "monetize" us all; and we also want and expect many of the conveniences that Big Tech's devices would offer, but designed in a different way.
 
-With the "find my phone" concept we are referring to a group of functions to help in case of loss or theft, such as ringing the device loudly even if it was in "silent" mode, reporting its location, remotely disabling it, and more. Each big tech vendor offers their own variations on this theme.
+There are a few families of Freedom Phones today: android-based, linux-based, and some hybrid or independent kinds. They are very capable in the main areas: web, apps, photography, phone calls. Yet they are still lacking in a number of areas, like backup and migrate, push messaging, personal data storage and sync. Across the ecosystem in general these areas are at early stages of development. Each area individually may be of secondary importance but taken together they represent a significant gap still to be filled to make Freedom Phones appealing to ordinary people.
+
+We now need to build those quality-of-life features. Anything we can do to fill the gap is a step towards making Freedom Phones more widely accepted, bringing the associated freedoms to more people and encouraging further progress in other areas.
+
+On a personal level, I want to give my family members a Freedom Phone that not only performs the basic functions, but does so comfortably, safely, reliably. I want to work in any way I can to close this gap.
+
+
+## The Wider Scene, Background, Rationale
 
 People deserve both the right and the practical possibility to use a phone that is not controlled by Big Tech but by themself or their choice of provider, perhaps local to them. Freedom phones are not controlled by big tech, and instead connect to freedom services and run freedom software. There are by now several options for freedom phones, and they are well developed in their primary functions, the things we interact with, like the web browser, phone calls and installable apps.
 
-To greatly improve ordinary people's option to use a freedom phone, we now need to build the quality-of-life features. Things like backup and restore, software upgrades, passwords and encryption, and push notifications. Across the ecosystem in general these are at early stages of development.
+
 
 
 ## Scope