Believe it or not, but in one country, Google Pixel phones are preferred by drug dealers. Yes, you read that right, if you own one, cops may assume you’re dealing drugs.
Owning a Google Pixel in Spain could put you in crosshairs of police, because of drug dealers
As it turns out, Pixel phones are preferred by drug dealers and gang members in Spain. Well, one part of Spain, to be exact, Catalonia. The police in this autonomous region in Spain are on high alert when they see a Pixel phone.
“Every time we see a Google Pixel, we suspect it might belong to a drug dealer,” said a police officer leading the anti-drug operation in Catalonia, according to Xataka Android.
Why are Pixel phones so popular amongst criminals there, though? Well, it has more to do with Android, and its open source nature, than Pixel phones themselves. They can easily install alternative operating systems on Pixel phones, which is why.
Organized crime members in Catalonia seemingly prefer to use GrapheneOS. Why? Well, because of its privacy and security, and the fact that the data is kept out of reach of Google, is a plus.
GrapheneOS does work best on Pixel phones, which is why they prefer Google’s devices. Even the company recommends using it with a Pixel “due to better security and a long minimum support guarantee from launch for full security updates and other improvements.”
Criminals tend to remove cameras from Pixel phones
What’s interesting is that criminals often remove cameras from Pixel phones altogether. Not always, but it’s a common practice over there, it would seem.
The police in Catalonia has an interesting way to counter this. The solution is to infect Pixels with malware to gain full access to apps, media, documents, and more. Malware specifically aimed at GrapheneOS, it would seem.
So, as you can see, this is more related to the open-source nature of Android and the modability that Google’s phones offer, than those phones as a whole. It’s a rather interesting story, that’s for sure.
The post Forget iPhones — Pixel Is the Hottest Phone in the Criminal Underworld appeared first on Android Headlines.
