Android is as stupid as iOS in terms of privacy.... You should go with CyanogenMod.
Cyanogenmod IS Android, just with various alterations and additions.
Not exactly.
yes. exactly. in the same sense as linux distros. I use and love Cyanogenmod, and it is more secure than what came stock because it is rooted by default. It is still android.
Here is what seems to be my group of Google and system apps on rooted S3. Likely this list is incomplete. I have app to delete system apps, so I can make any of these go away. Likely one does not know the effect of deleting a system app, and neither does one know the extent or content of it's reporting upstream.
Google Play, Google Play services, Google+, Maps, Google Settings,
Google Speech, Google Text to Speech
S Memo, S Suggest, S Voice, Samsung Apps, ChatOnThese are google apps that I loaded myself
Gmail, GEarth, Google TranslateHere is the group of outstanding apps that I've personally loaded to this phone and use a lot.
K9mail, WikiPock, Kiwix, Imdb, Total Recall, Trello, Simplenote, Dropbox, EvernoteMy question is simply, given a mix of usage as this, how would Cyanogenmod be different/better/cleaner/simpler?
Secondly, the issue being the upstream reporting that an OS, app or system app does, how would one even know the content or extent of that data set? It would seem possible that regardless of one's attempt to steam issues with the OS and system apps, one singular malevolent app could, unknown to any user, harvest all.
Therefore the highest value in an alternative OS would be that it be capable of viewing and reporting to us these upstream datasets. I do not have the impression that Cyanogenmod does anything like this, and in the absence of that, would classify it as "modified android" instead of "android with enhanced privacy/security".