theoretically you should be right but there’s software hidden in the hardware that you can’t uninstall or modify that could (hypothetically) be surveilling you. like in the networking equipment that’s inside the phone.

realistically, i think the chances for that happening are actually very low, also because the networking firmware could only see your encrypted data packets, but it could still figure out the IP addresses that you communicate with. i’d rate it a none/low risk level. your ISP could also surveill you in the same way, with probably less technical difficulty. also you could circumvent that by using VPN.

also people can actually check what the networking firmware actually sends through the air (you need special equipment to intercept the packages mid-air) so it’s risky for them to do it because they could be caught and exposed.

it’s cheap. mine was like $200 new. can recommend.

I actually bought a new Motorola phone 2 months ago precisely because i wanted a phone with an unlockable bootloader, and motorola delivered that.

Vote with your wallet.

This could be interesting for a mars settlement.