Security-focused OS GrapheneOS withdraws from France due to 'state threats'

GrapheneOS is an open-source Android-based operating system that focuses on security and privacy, and is used to safely operate devices such as the Google Pixel. Due to its high level of security, GrapheneOS has been used by drug traffickers, and the French government has long been hostile toward it, describing it as 'a platform for criminals.' In response to this stance from the French government and media, GrapheneOS announced that it would be relocating its servers located in France.

GrapheneOS migrates server infrastructure from France amid police intimidation claims
https://www.privacyguides.org/news/2025/11/22/grapheneos-migrates-server-infrastructure-from-france-amid-police-intimidation-claims/

GrapheneOS is an Android-based operating system that focuses on privacy protection. Because its 'strong privacy features' mean that 'it is difficult to detect even if you commit a crime,' in the past, French security authorities have issued an investigation report that suggests its use as a 'sign of intent to live in hiding' is a crime. GrapheneOS responded to the French authorities' stance, saying, 'European authoritarian regimes and their pro-authority media have falsely portrayed GrapheneOS and Pixel as products for criminals. GrapheneOS opposes the 'massive surveillance police state' that these forces are trying to impose on everyone.'

The OS official strongly refutes that the police are easily linking Google Pixel and the security-specialized OS 'GrapheneOS' to criminals - GIGAZINE

Meanwhile, on November 19, 2025, the French media outlet Le Parisien published a story titled ' Google Pixel and GrapheneOS: Drug Traffickers' Secret Weapon to Protect Data from Police .' GrapheneOS expressed outrage at the report, saying that it 'provides a platform for the media and journalists to make unfounded and demonstrably false claims about GrapheneOS, without providing any opportunity to verify or refute those claims.'

In particular, Le Parisien reported that a prosecutor stated, 'GrapheneOS has ties to criminal organizations and will face legal action if it does not cooperate with the investigation,' which GrapheneOS described as 'groundless and a form of legal threat by the state.' According to GrapheneOS, French authorities claim that 'GrapheneOS is an operating system for criminals, including features such as erasing data on access and fake apps,' but these features are not present in the official version and are being confused with 'malicious clones' or 'unofficial versions' of GrapheneOS, which is available as open source.

In response to these actions by French authorities, GrapheneOS announced that it would cease operations in France. GrapheneOS stated, 'We have determined that France is no longer a safe country for an open source privacy project. To protect our project and our users, we will be completely avoiding France going forward. We are extremely concerned by the actions and statements of French government and law enforcement agencies. They are making wildly inaccurate and defamatory claims about GrapheneOS in an apparent attempt to justify their actions against us. They have shown their hand, and we are withdrawing from France before anything bad happens.'

Here's another French journalist participating in fearmongering about GrapheneOS. That article is not measured. It provided a platform to make both unsubstantiated and provably false claims about GrapheneOS while providing no opportunity to see and respond to those claims.…

— GrapheneOS (@GrapheneOS) November 20, 2025

Previously, GrapheneOS relied on OVH , Europe's largest cloud computing service, headquartered in France, for its official website, social media, and other key infrastructure. With this migration plan, GrapheneOS will move services like Mastodon and the online community platform Discourse to a combination of local and shared servers in Canada, while moving critical website infrastructure to Netcup, a web hosting service based in Germany. Furthermore, due to security concerns, GrapheneOS developers are reportedly prohibited from working in France.

In response to this incident, GrapheneOS announced that it will contribute to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) with the aim of fixing vulnerabilities that law enforcement and forensic companies use to break into Android devices during investigations. 'We look forward to hearing from Google,' the company said.