As part of my privacy and security stance I am trying to avoid the ME and PSP. is raspberry pi more secure, or any other options?
Thanks!
pi*
Privacy Tips
Not using amd or intel - using raspberry pie for my computer or any other service.
Started by privacyislife421 · Aug 25, 2025
Still using linux is safe enough already
trying raspberry pi is not ideal but not bad too . if anything go wrong u can just and put inside trash bcz it's small not like laptop so in that case it's good
trying raspberry pi is not ideal but not bad too . if anything go wrong u can just and put inside trash bcz it's small not like laptop so in that case it's good
Raspberry Pi is a fun option and it does avoid Intel ME / AMD PSP, but it’s not automatically “more secure.” It has its own trade-offs: weaker hardware security, limited performance, and a smaller threat model community compared to x86.
If your main concern is avoiding ME/PSP, other alternatives exist too. Like RISC-V boards (still early, but fully open ISA) or older pre-ME Intel machines (with ME neutralized/disabled using tools like me_cleaner).
That said, as amicursed mentioned, Linux itself already gives you a strong baseline if configured correctly. Your OPSEC will depend much more on things like:
- keeping systems minimal and updated,
- using strong compartmentalization (e.g. Qubes or VMs),
- and reducing your attack surface (no unnecessary services, no JS, etc.).
So yes, Pi can be part of a privacy setup, but it’s not a silver bullet. It’s more about your practices and threat model than the CPU brand alone.
If your main concern is avoiding ME/PSP, other alternatives exist too. Like RISC-V boards (still early, but fully open ISA) or older pre-ME Intel machines (with ME neutralized/disabled using tools like me_cleaner).
That said, as amicursed mentioned, Linux itself already gives you a strong baseline if configured correctly. Your OPSEC will depend much more on things like:
- keeping systems minimal and updated,
- using strong compartmentalization (e.g. Qubes or VMs),
- and reducing your attack surface (no unnecessary services, no JS, etc.).
So yes, Pi can be part of a privacy setup, but it’s not a silver bullet. It’s more about your practices and threat model than the CPU brand alone.
Thank you, that's super helpful. would you say in general that using tails with pi is safer that ME/PSP for just avoiding surveillance?
Not a dumb question at all. But just to clear it up: Tails doesn’t run on Raspberry Pi, since it’s built only for x86_64 hardware (regular PCs and laptops). On Pi you could run other privacy-focused distros (like Debian ARM builds or even custom hardened images), but not Tails itself.
So if your main concern is avoiding Intel ME / AMD PSP, your options are more along the lines of:
Pre-ME Intel machines with ME disabled/neutralized (me_cleaner, coreboot, etc.)
Some AMD platforms where PSP can be partially mitigated
Or newer alternatives like RISC-V boards (still early stage).
In short: Pi is ME/PSP-free, but not Tails-compatible. For Tails you’ll need an x86 laptop/desktop.
So if your main concern is avoiding Intel ME / AMD PSP, your options are more along the lines of:
Pre-ME Intel machines with ME disabled/neutralized (me_cleaner, coreboot, etc.)
Some AMD platforms where PSP can be partially mitigated
Or newer alternatives like RISC-V boards (still early stage).
In short: Pi is ME/PSP-free, but not Tails-compatible. For Tails you’ll need an x86 laptop/desktop.