Pixel 5 is end-of-life and shouldn't be used anymore due to lack of security patches for firmware and drivers.
I understand if your friend is on a budget and simply can't afford a non EOL phone but, they should really consider a 6th gen Pixel or better if they care at all about their data security.
That's not how end to end encryption works.
Your scared of a slide to the right but already falling for their propaganda to undermine privacy by destroying encryption.
Do this all the time with video games. Pirate to try before I buy. If I really like the game I buy it in the hopes it creates an incentive to make more games like the ones I like.
There are legitimate versions of windows that are hard to get as a non enterprise consumer. Such as some of the IOT versions that have much longer security support.
Here you go:
"Google makes the most secure phone. Including for securing your phone against Google."
Its better then explaining you rather risk your data security then buy a phone from Google.
For the majority of connections you can. Some connections bypass your VPN and there is nothing you can do about it. Its been reported to Google by multiple groups, including Mullvad but Google refuses to fix this.
I like grapheneos the product.
The staff is super abrasive and they constantly attack other privacy projects. See the recent attacks on Jonah from privacy guides, or the attacks on calyx, or the bs with rossman that forced micay out of the spotlight.
They need to hire an outside professional to manage their PR. The way they communicate is their biggest flaw.
FYI- Its not a ROM.
EDIT: for the person down voting a fact - https://x.com/GrapheneOS/status/1588599635337445377
The bar for torrenting is super low. If all you want to do is avoid DMCA notices pretty much any VPN will do as long as you bind it to your torrent client.
In terms of Windscribe they have become a much more respectable VPN if you also want some privacy protections and DNS protections but there are better options.
They used to be a bottom dweller VPN selling off lifetime memberships for $30 in the mid 2000s but have really become a strong privacy advocate over the last few years.
Problem for me is a lot of news and journalists are still only on Twitter.
Did you try reading through the FAQ?