> How would android be any better at protecting against that than apple/ios?
The AOSP is much easier to hold accountable than the iOS codebase. Apple has a convincing security model if you take their whitepapers at face value, but between the PRISM revelations and Apple's own Transparency page[0] it's hard to claim that they won't let anyone access your data.
Similarities between AOSP and any Android device build are unclear at best.
Re: Transparency, Apple is obligated to cooperate with governments when presented with legally-valid warrants. This is not so much iOS as iCloud services though, and it applies to every service provider in the world.
> Similarities between AOSP and any Android device build are unclear at best.
Indeed. That's why other open source projects make custom ROMs and distributions based on AOSP so you can remove your dependence on those sketchy device builds. Both OSes come with guaranteed government-obligated backdoors, but only one still has the tools to mitigate them.
The AOSP is an undeniable net-positive for accountability, as well as giving security researchers an unprecedented platform for responding to and researching mobile exploits.
> This is not so much iOS as iCloud services though
Yes, they explicitly illustrate both device and iCloud warrants being filled en-masse. Apple builds backdoors into your system and offers them to state-level actors.
We can go down this "obligated" route if you'd like, but it only further illustrates the importance of accountable OS design, like how the AOSP is arranged.
The AOSP is much easier to hold accountable than the iOS codebase. Apple has a convincing security model if you take their whitepapers at face value, but between the PRISM revelations and Apple's own Transparency page[0] it's hard to claim that they won't let anyone access your data.
[0] https://www.apple.com/legal/transparency/