The newly launched Trump T1 Phone is marketed as a secure, privacy-respecting smartphone Made in the USA.

Not only is the hardware not Made in USA (it appears to be based on an off-the-shelf Chinese design from Wingtech and is believed to be assembled in China), the underlying software upon which it runs – the operating system – is Android, developed by one of the world’s largest data harvesting company, Alphabet (Google).

Ars Technica is also reporting that it’s possibly a device made in China.

As noted by Purism often in the past, Purism authors and maintains PureOS, which is a secure and privacy–respecting distribution of Debian GNU/Linux, and is not based on Android.

“Made in the USA” does not Guarantee Digital Privacy

The currently published specifications and pictures of the Trump T1 Phone will be of Chinese origin and run Android 15 which will still operate under a surveillance capitalism driven advertising model.  It sends telemetry and user data to Google and its advertising partners, and allows broad permissions to apps, facilitating persistent background data harvesting.

Furthermore, Android supports intrusive apps that enable the developer to conduct audio, video, and physical surveillance on the Android end user.

Aside from surveillance, the developers conduct indiscriminate data harvesting which includes the end user’s highly confidential personal, business, medical, legal, bio-metric, employment, health, location, and sensitive user data (texts, emails, calendar, contacts, etc.) to exploit for profits made from targeted advertising, internal use to train AI, and the sale of information to nebulous third-parties.

Censorship and Surveillance Continue

While Android 15 includes minor privacy controls and marketing-friendly features like a “Privacy Sandbox,” intrusive technologies remain deeply embedded:

• Cross-app tracking via ad SDKs persists.
• AI model training often occurs without explicit user consent.
• Data collection and behavioral manipulation are default operations.

Google’s core business model is built around advertising, with over 80% of its revenue coming from ad sales rather than pure technology innovation. Through services like Google Search, YouTube, and Android, the company collects vast amounts of user data to refine targeted advertising, making its AI and software products tools for monetization rather than standalone technological advancements. In essence, Google operates as an advertising giant that happens to build technology to support its ad-driven ecosystem.

Android 15: A Modern OS Built on a Targeted Advertising Business Model

Despite its patriotic branding, the Trump T1 Phone expects to run Android 15, which is a Google-developed operating system that promotes data collection.

Android 15 comes tightly integrated with:

• Google Play Services – Enables location tracking, identity linking, and device telemetry.
• Google Play Store – Hosts millions of third-party apps, many of which embed advertising SDKs and trackers.

These services form the backbone of Google’s global advertising-driven infrastructure whether the phone is built in China or not.

App Permissions: Built-In Data Harvesting Technologies

Most Android apps request access to:

• Microphone
• Camera
• Location
• Contacts
• SMS messages and email (including attachments)
• Browsing data
• Phone, messaging, and app usage logs (including the ID of both the user and the person contacting the user)

The number of permissions is too great to list in this blog.

These permissions fuel:

• User profiling
• AI model training
• Behavioral manipulation
• Targeted advertising

This surveillance isn’t incidental; it’s by design.

A Better Alternative: PureOS on the Purism Liberty Phone

Unlike Android-based devices, the Purism Liberty Phone runs PureOS, a Linux-kernel based operating system designed from the ground up for privacy, security, and digital freedom.

PureOS supports secure and private apps that are not developed with surveillance and data mining technology that in turn supports targeted advertising.

As a matter of fact, the PureOS end user does not have to click on “I Agree” giving up their privacy, security, and data sovereignty for true privacy and security.

PureOS is fully free and open source, and it is auditable at any time, which means the PureOS end user can physically see if the OS has been infected with malware or manipulated in any way through the use of a Librem Key provided by Purism.

PureOS is fully convergent supporting the Librem 5 and Liberty Phone, as well as laptops, tablet PCs, and servers also manufactured by Purism.

Click here for more information on PureOS.

Trump T1 Phone vs. Purism Liberty Phone: A Privacy-Focused Comparison

The Trump T1 Phone, not even meeting the FTC labeling bar of Assembled in USA, and certainly not Made in USA, and branded with patriotic messaging (which also runs afoul of the FTC guidelines), runs Android 15—an OS developed by Google. Android is only partially open-source, with critical functionality in proprietary components like Google Play Services. As a result, the device ships with preloaded Google apps—Gmail, Chrome, YouTube, and the Play Store—all designed to collect user data, enable cross-app tracking, and monetize behavioral patterns via third-party advertising SDKs.

In contrast, the Purism Liberty Phone runs PureOS, a fully free and open source operating system.  PureOS is developed by Purism, a U.S. company committed to privacy-first computing. PureOS contains zero Google services or proprietary spyware, relying instead on privacy-focused defaults and FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) repositories. This eliminates third-party SDK surveillance and ensures no background data mining or AI model training occurs without explicit user consent.

While Android 15 offers some privacy toggles, they function under an opt-out model—the burden falls on users to disable surveillance. The authors know that few users will opt out.  They can reduce this number further by making it difficult to opt out, and by tying opt-outs to loss of functionality.

Ultimately, the Trump T1 Phone does nothing to enhance personal privacy nor security. It’s simply yet another Android-based smartphone using an off-the-shelf Chinese design, and most likely built in China.

The Purism Liberty Phone, on the other hand, empowers users with transparent, auditable software that prioritizes security and freedom at every level.

Bottom Line

The Trump T1 Phone, despite its patriotic branding, is Made in China and Assembled in China, and it runs Android 15—an OS that reinforces Google’s global, advertising-first ecosystem.

The Purism Liberty Phone has Made in USA Electronics and is Assembled in the USA, and it runs PureOS, offering real privacy and user control. It is built for those who refuse to trade their personal data for convenience or illusion.

If privacy, security, and digital sovereignty are your priorities, changing the hardware isn’t enough—you must also change the OS and the app ecosystem that comes with it.